The Ninja Life of Kichino Sarafu!
by Kichino Sarafu
Summary: GaaraXOC. Part 1Kichino Sarafu is a young ninja girl with the Moon Dragon trapped inside of her, which is passed down through the female lineage. It is inhabited by the mother and the daughter, in which the daughter must kill and devour her mother in ord
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Alright! The first Chapter of my incredibly long fanfic is up! Please Review, and keep in mind, that this is the first chapter, and obviously, not the most exciting. I'll put up the next one soon! Oh, and I by all means, do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This was made merely out of crazyfandom. Enjoy!

**Journey to Land**

I am Kinicho Sarafu, Daughter of Monteku Kinicho the Gaurdian of the Hidden Village of the Sky, Sora, and the greatly hated Tsuki, current Dragon of the Moon. What of my father? Not even I know. I am a Chuunin, and I was sent down to the Hidden Village of Konoha, on an importnant mission. For many years, we have had alliances with all the countries, but our existence was kept secret for our own safety. We used to live on the ground in the Country of Wind, but we were attacked by the Dragon of the Moon, and that was when my clan got the curse of the Moon Dragon. Just recently, however, my mother unleashed her fury upon our village, so we seek aid from our strongest allies, the Hidden Village of Konoha. That is where I am headed now. The journey is long, and I must travel down Mt. Hokkaido, which is near our village, and walk on foot, ALL the way to Konoha. I stopped at an inn. It was old and this elderly lady made me do the dishes. And they were a lot, I _know_ they were not from just my dinner. My first stop will be at Hojufuku City, in the Earth Country. I shall arrive there tomorrow. After that I will continue into the Wind Country, and then to the Country of Fire.

I have Reached the Hidden Village of Rock, but I don't seem to be welcomed here. I was allowed inside because of my pass, given to me by the Sandaime, but these punk kids tried to pick a fight with me. There was a really short guy, and this other one with a very ugly muffler. It went out of fashion a long time ago. They told me to get out of their village and go back to where I belonged, so I said "Why should I go back to where I belong if you aren't where you belong?"

"Huh? What do you mean? This is our village."

"Well, trash belongs in a garbage can."

I think I went a little too far on that one, because then the short one whipped out a shuriken and threw it at me. Of course, I dodged it with little ease. After all, I was a Chuunin and these were probably Genins, and bad ones at that. But I had miscalculated, because Ugly Muffler Guy disappeared. He then popped up from out of the ground, right behind me, and put a kunai knife to my throat, but I was smarter! It was a replication. I was long gone by then. I didn't want to cause a commotion, so I left, leaving a replication with them. I don't know what else they did, because I stopped by a store for food, and then left the village. I don't like that place too much. I was taking too long, I was hoping to be in the country of the wind by now. So I did a summoning technique. I summoned the Dragon, Moregayo, the fastest dragon alive. Moregayo wasn't too pleased to see me.

"Its ya again, What'da ya wan?" he growled at me.

"Shut up, Moregayo! You have no reason to talk to me, when you ran away when I had to fight Mom!"

"Retreat is a sound strategy, when the time calls for it."

"Oh, shut up! You're just a scaredy-cat."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, I bet you can't make it to the Country of the Wind, before nightfall."

"Oh, yes I can. I'll show you, I'll make it there before sunset."

"Then let me on your back so I can make sure you don't cheat."

"Hmph!"

Moregayo was one of my favorite dragons, because 1) He's easy to manipulate, and 2) He was this really pretty golden color, and he didn't have scales. He had feathers, so riding him was easy, and it didn't hurt. Before I could get my balance, he launched off into the sky! Man, I love riding dragons, BUT NOT WHEN THEY'RE GOIN' 400 MPH! I could bearly hang on. And, Moregayo lost the bet, but it was close. It was _officially_ sun-down just as we reached the border. I, of course, bid him farewell, but he wasn't too happy. I had finally made it to the Country of the Wind, maybe I should've just let him fly me the whole way, but that would make him quite tired. Oh well! I like walks anyway. Nightfall was coming soon, so I set up camp in between the Country of Earth, and the Country of Wind, just for the heck of it. (See I _can_ be in 2 places at once.) I can't wait to see the Hidden Village of the Sand!

_...to be continued._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **It's chapter two! Now things start to pick up. Please review! I really need to know what you think! Enjoy!

**Village of the Sand**

Yay! I finally made it to the Village of the Sand! Its a really cool looking place. All the buildings are domes made of sand. The only problem was that there was a constant wind blowing and it blew sand in your eyes. But from what the lady at the grocery store told me, it was going to get worse. She said that travelers didn't like the Village of the Sand too much, because of this. I didn't care that much. I was just glad that these people weren't trying to kick me out like the Rock Village did. (Jerks!)

I checked into an inn, and then I decided to take a tour of the village. It _was_ my first time to the land. I'd been in the sky for so long, that I never knew what the ground was like. I always thought our Village's name was exaggerating a bit. In fact we're not even in the sky. My village was located on a giant platform surrounding the peak of Mt. Hokkaido, in the Earth Country. We sometimes went to the mountain, but we never climbed _down_ it. So something, such as sand, was new to me. And I loved it! It was like water, and it went between your fingers! I bought some yakitori at a nearby shop, and decided to walk around, while eating.

I stumbled upon one dome that was larger than the others, a passerby told me it was the Kazekage's office. I didn't want to cause any trouble, so I was going to go look somewhere else, when a group of three people walked out of the dome, caught my eye. There was one girl with sandy colored hair put into 4 ponytails, and she had a giant fan with her. The one to the far right looked like he was wearing black pajamas and he had purple paint on his face. But the one in between them was the one that really caught my eye. He had short semi-spiky red hair and the symbol of love on his forehead. There were black lines around his eyes, and he carried around a giant gourd, full of what-I don't know. But that wasn't what made him more special than the others. It was the look in his eyes. They were so cold, and COOL! He looked so awesome! And he was so handsome! That murderous look in his eyes sent shivers down my spine. I LOVED IT!

"Hey", the Pajama Pants said, and rudely I might add, "Your in our way move it."

That woke me up and I realized that I had been standing in a trance. I immeadiately went red and started stuttering. Why is it that the one time I need to act cool and I was stuttering like a geek? I could tell I wasn't going to like this. Then, the red-headed cutie came up to me, and suddenly, sand grasped around my throat like a hand. I realized that it was being controlled by him. "Move it." he said with such venom it made my heart stop. He threw me to the side and began walking on. I gasped for breath and then managed to get out a, "W-what's your n-name?" He stopped and turned around.

"Why should I tell my name to worthless trash like you? Go home and cry, you annoying girl."

Now any normal girl who had just been told that by their crush probably would've burst into tears and run away. But I had been raised differently. I SNAPPED! HOW DARE HE INSULT ME WITH SUCH RUDENESS! I'M GONNA KILL HIM! I CAN'T BELEIVE I THOUGHT HE WAS ANY GOOD-LOOKING AT ALL!

"HEY BUDDY!" I screamed. "WHAT WAS UP WITH THAT! THERE WAS NO CALL FOR SUCH RUDENESS, I JUST ASKED FOR YOUR NAME, PUNK!"

"You are annoying." He thrust his hand and the sand jumped at me, and began to squeeze around my neck, again.

I wasn't about to fall for the same trick twice. I quickly bit my thumb to draw blood, and formed the seals to summon one of my favorite dragons, Konkichii. He was about as tall as me, but he was super strong. He instantly took in the situation and cut the sand with his tail. Konkichii was a fire-breathing dragon and he had shiny, red scales that were as hard as steel. His golden eyes had a simple spark in them. He was perfect for any bad situation, and he was always underestimated because of his size. Together, we formed the seals and did the Katon Housenka no Jutsu. Fire shot out of both of our mouths. The girl seemed to recognize this technique, and annoyingly used her fan to blow the fire away.

"Temari," the red-head said, "Do not interfere. Or I will kill you."

The Temari girl stepped back a bit, but then said, "I know this technique. It's the same one Uchiha Sasuke used to defeat me."

That caught his attention. "Uchiha...Sasuke?"

Temari nodded.

"Then she might be worth fighting."

Ihad no idea who this Sasuke guy was, but he sounds strong, if he interested the red-head. I'd like to fight him someday. "Sarafu!" Konkichii yelled at me. "Don't stand there. He has massive amounts of chakra. I can feel it. You found a really strong opponent. He seems to control the sand, so we're in his territory now. We need to figure out a way to hit him without letting the sand interfere."

"I know that, but how? The sand is really fast."

"We could use _that_ technique."

"I haven't completely mastered it, but it's worth a try-ahh!"

An arm of sand shot at me. It looks like the red-head didn't want to stand there for too long. Konkichii quickly grabbed me and flew up into the air. "Hurry!" he said with strain. "Make the seals; I'll keep you safe."

"Alright!"

I formed the seals, but this was my first time trying it in battle so I was a bit slow. An arm of sand grabbed my leg. Konkichii was trying his best, but the sand was strong, too, and also, it was crushing my leg. For this technique to work, I'd need my legs. I yelled out, "Speed Technique!" And then Konkichii let me go. I fell to the ground and shot forth towards red-head. I was much faster than before, and the sand couldn't catch up to me. I didn't even feel the pain in my legs. In an instant I was next to red-head and punched him in the face. He went flying and landed a few meters away. His buddies looked astonished.

"Its just like that one time," Temari said. "This girl is similar to both of them. She's too strong."

I began to burst with pride. "Well, I _am_ a Chuunin, after all." Judging from their looks they were just Genins, but there was no way I could fight all three of them at once. I needed to finish this quickly. Konkichii turned towards me, "Sarafu, you have this really bad habit of picking fights with the wrong people."

"I couldn't help it. He broke my heart."

Konkichii raised an eyebrow. Oops! I said too much. Now I really wanted to finish this quickly, I began to take a step, but stopped because of the pain in my side. Crap! I had used up too much Chakra, and now the Moon Dragon's chakra was awakening. I had no choice I had to leave soon, or I would go berserk. "Konkichii!" He nodded and grabbed me, then flew off. Konkichii wasn't the flying type of dragon. If they pursued us, we would be toast. Konkichii was already tired, and I couldn't fight anymore. I could tell that punch did some damage, but he could still fight. Luckily, it seemed they weren't too interested in fighting, because no one followed us. We stopped near the edge of the city. I really hoped the Kazekage didn't see that fight. I might be in trouble.

"Ah, man!" I exclaimed in realization.

"What?" Konkichii asked.

"I forgot to get his name!"

"Seriously, you are one weird child."

"But my fiery passion has not died down, yet! I _will_ defeat him, and show him that NO ONE talks to me like that!"

"Whatever, kid."

_ Poof!_ Konkichii disappeared, and I was alone again. I was too tired to move. Now I knew never to use that technique, again. It wasted too much chakra. I couldn't allow the Dragon of the Moon to take over. I fell asleep right there.

The next day, I woke up in the same spot. I was hoping some kind passerby might take pity on me and put me in a nice bed. I guess no one takes pity on the weak here. And I was sore all over from the bad sleeping position. I got up and dusted my self off, but too no avail a bad wind was blowing even more sand on me. I gave up trying and walked towards the inn. I felt bad. I had paid for a night's stay, and I didn't even stay a night. What a waste of money. Most of my chakra seemed replenished, but I was still tired. I really don't feel like fighting that guy again, any time soon. The streets seemed emptier than yesterday. I wondered if it was because of the bad wind. I'd better go to the inn soon. And guess what. I stumbled into those three again.

I pointed my finger at them. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!"

Temari stated the obvious. "We _live _here."

"Oh, yeah... Well, I really don't feel like fighting you guys right now, so can't we just call it a draw?"

"Hmph!" Pajama Pants finally spoke, unfortunately, "We don't have time to play with you kid."

"SHUT UP! I am NOT a kid! I'm 13 years old! OLD GEEZER!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!"

I stuck my tongue out at him. Then I realized that this was probably not the best thing to do, seeing as how I wasn't in any condition to fight. Pajama Pants looked like he was itching to fight me. "Kankorou," red-head commanded, "Stop it. We do not wish to start any fights. Lets go. We have no business with this woman."

Although I was thankful to him, I didn't like being treated as some annoyance. "Hey! You do have business with me! You never told me your name."

"Isn't polite to give your name first. Or do you like being rude?"

Ouch! That hurt my ego. "Fine! My name is Kichino Sarafu, and I'm now going to be your greatest rival. Your name?"

"My name is Gaara. Gaara of the Desert."

"Well, then, _Gaara_, I declare war against you from here on out. Next time we meet. You'll pay."

"I doubt that."

"Unitl next time, _rival._"

I walked past them. _Man, that was a great performance! I acted so cool! This is better than being all lovey-dovey over him. But I will show him that I'm not just any girl. Gaara of the Desert, you will be mine!_

_...to be continued._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Alright, my fanatic readers! I've got Chapter 3 up here. (I know, they're coming out quick. I just can't wait! XD) Enjoy. This one is pretty long.

**Country of Fire: Hidden Village of Konoha**

YATTA! I finally made it to the Fire Country, and needless to say, I need to hurry. I wasted too much time playing with Gaara, although I do hope to meet him again, and not die. My village must be desperate, by now. It's been 4 days, and I still have to make the journey back. But, when I reached Konoha, I was absolutely devastated. It was in ruins(well maybe not that bad, but it certainly wasn't doing well.) It was a big village, but so many buildings were torn up and I could see everyone was working to repair their village back to its obvious splendour. There was even a huge gap in the wall that surrounded it. I was really hungry, so I stopped by a ramen shop. There, I met an odd fellow. He had spiky, yellow hair. He was wrapped up in bandages and he had a black hooded cloak, in which he tried to conceal his face. I asked him what happened to the Village, and he looked at me weird. "You're not from Konoha, are you?"

"No," I replied, "I'm visiting. What has happened here? The place is a mess."

"We were attacked by the Village of Sound during the Chuunin exam, from your jacket, I guess you are a Chuunin. What village are you from?"

"You guessed right, my friend. I _am_ a Chuunin. But from what village I am from, I'd rather keep a secret."

"Huh? Whatever."

He slurped his ramen, but he was soon dragged away by a lady and some medical ninjas, "back to the hospital," the owners of the ramen shop told me. He had just gotten through with a big mission and he was injured, but had snuck out to train. I found out that his name was Uzumaki Naruto, but I didn't keep the name in my head.

Once I was through with my lunch, I headed over to the Hokage's office. I was glad that no one was around to try and stop me. Apparantly, everyone was too busy to wait around here. I knocked on the door to the Hokage's office. I was surprised when I heard a female voice answer, "Come in." I did come in, and was stopped dead in my tracks. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE HOKAGE'S SEAT!"

And indeed, there was a middle-aged-looking woman sitting there, behind a pile of paper-work. "Isn't obvious?" she asked me suspiciously, "I'm the Hokage, and I may sit anywhere I damn well please. Who are you? I don't recognize the symbol of your fore-head protector."

I saw her gaze towards my fore-head protector, which was, in fact, tied around my arm (I thought it looked cooler that way). "I will answer that question after you answer mine," I questioned sternly. "Where is the Third? You are not the Hokage for the Hokage is an old man. Where is he?"

"He's dead. I am the Fifth."

The news struck hard. The Third was dead? How can that be? He was one of the strongest ninjas I knew. I met him only once, and that was when he visited our village when I was about 5. He was a nice and wise old man, that the children of our village greatly admired. "Who killed him?"

"A man by the name of Orochimaru."

Orochimaru, huh? I had know idea who this man was, but if our paths ever crossed, he would feel a world of hurt.

"May I know who you are, now?" she asked me impatiently.

"Yes. I am Kichino Sarafu, a Chuunin from the Hidden Village of the Sky. I have come here asking the Village of Konoha, to help us on the grounds of our treaty."

"Hun? The Village of the Sky? What treaty?"

"I see, he didn't tell you. Well, this is going to be hard then."

"Back in the Edo Period, the Village of the Grass was in war with the Mist Village. Foolishly, the Grass Village called upon the Dragon of the Moon, to help them win. Many people were needlessly sacrificed, but in the end, the Moon Dragon wanted even more sacrifices, which we could not give. So he decided to take them himself. The Kichino clan, which were the great gaurdians of the village, stood up against the dragon. The Moon Dragon was offended by their bravery, and said, 'You who so foolishly stands up against me, will destroy the very thing you love most.' And on that note, he sealed himself within my great- great- great- great- grandmother. And now, the female lineage of the Kichino clan is cursed with Moon Dragon. When one who has the curse reaches the age of 15, the Dragon's chakra awakens and slowly fuses with our own, until it completely engulfs it.

"We believe that it only starts at 15 so we have a long enough time to become attached to our village. So, my clan was exiled, less the Moon Dragon should destroy their Village once more. The Grass Village moved to Mt. Hokkaido, and changed their name. They thus became the Village of the Sky. And we made a treaty with all of the hidden villages to keep the existence of our village a secret, less the Kichino Clan finds it again, and decides to exact revenge."

"Wait, but if your clan was exiled, why do you have the fore-head protector of the Village of the Sky?"

"Well, our clan _did_ find the Hidden Village of the Sky. And they made an agreement, that if they killed all of their women, they would be allowed back into the village. But my mother survived. She was raised up disguised as a boy, and only grandfather and I knew about her true identity. She raised me for 3 years, and taught me to act like a boy. After my third birthday, she became scared that she might be found and killed, so she left the village, and me. So I lived the rest of my life grandfather, keeping my true identity hidden."

"Grandfather? But what of your father?"

"I've never seen him, and if I did, I don't remember him. He left long before my mother did. He's probably still alive somewhere, but he'd have to be one weird guy to marry some half-dragon chick."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Like I said, at the age of 15, the Dragon of the Moon's chakra begins to engulf ours. While its doing this, our body physically changes. So, by the time my mom married my dad, she must have partly resembled a dragon."

"That is weird."

"Yes, so, continuing the story, my mom returned and attacked our village, but this time, she had fully become the Moon Dragon, and was no longer herself."

"I see, so, you were sent here to ask for aid? I'm sorry, but as you can see, we're not exactly doing well ourselves."

"That's alright. I only need a few."

"And that's all your getting. I believe your story, but I can only send one team. I will send for them, when do you want to leave?"

"As soon, and as fast as possible."

"Alright, then wait a second."

I waited a second. Nothing happened. I was very impatient and was going to be sarcastic and say, "_hey, its been a second already_" but I learned that kissing up to people gets you far in life. A young woman with dark brown (almost black) hair came in. The same woman who had dragged Naruto out of the ramen shop.

"Tsunade-sama? What is it?"

_So her names Tsunade? I wonder if she's that all good of a Hokage._ I thought.

"Gai's team isn't doing anything right now, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then send for them. I've got a new mission for them."

"...Yes."

The woman left and a few minutes later returned with 3 kids and an adult. I only assumed that the adult was their sensei and that the 3 kids were genins. I must say, when I saw the teacher I was quite...oh, what's the word..._appalled._ He had _such_ thick eye-brows, and the _UGLIEST_ hair-cut. And he wore this green body suit that showed way too many curves. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I do beleive I twitched a little. And their was a boy in the group who looked just like him. I was doubly grossed out, that I wanted to cry. MAN! THEY WERE WEIRD-LOOKIN'! Tsunade-sama broke my trance of disgust, "Kichino, these ninja will accompany you on your journey. Gai, you and your subordinates are to go with Miss Kichino Sarafu over here and give aid to her village who has just gone through an attack."

At this note, I bowed politely and introduced myself. "My name is Kichino Sarafu. Thank you for your service."

Gai and the mini-Gai, in unison, gave a salute, and cried, "It is our pleasure to help a woman in need!"

I gave a shudder, but tried to suppress it. These guys were so odd. But the other 2 were calm and cool. There was a girl with her hair into little buns on the side of her head, and she had a confident look on her face. She bowed, "I am TenTen. Its a pleasure to meet you." She then, turned to the boy next to her and said, "Neji, introduce yourself. You're being impolite."

This Neji guy had a stern look on his face. He had long black hair pulled into a pony-tail at the end. His eyes were this blank, haze of purple. Besides that, he didn't look all too special. "There is no need to introduce myself."

I twitched. Oh, great! Its another one of these guys. I had enough from Gaara. I can just tell I wasgonna hate this guy. TenTen turned to me, "I'm sorry. His name is Hyuuga Neji. He's not too talkative."

"Now!" The ugly Gai spoke out so loud and suddenly, that it startled me. "We shall introduce ourselves!" Unfortunatly, he did this weird pose where his butt stuck out, and declared proudly, "My name is Maito Gai, the beautiful Blue Beast of Konoha! And I am the one and only eternal rival of Kakashi!" With that, he gave a grin that sparkled with a _ding!_

"Wait, you mean_ Hatake_ Kakashi?"

"Yes! Am I not spectacular?"

I had to answer truthfully, "No. I don't believe you."

He grew pale, and looked on the verge of tears. The mini version decided to speak out now. "My name is Rock Lee! The beautiful Green Beast of Konoha! And the greatest Taijutsu user in the world." And he, too, gave a sparkling grin.

"That's great, can we go now?"

Now, Rock Lee was about to cry.

"Let me tell you this now. I do not tolerate silly-ness. I want to hurry up and get this over with. And I'd rather you not confirm the location of my village to anyone else if you please."

Gai recovered himself quickly. "Yes! We promise not to repeat it ever again!"

Neji gave me a look that said, "Bossy little thing, aren't you?"

"Alright!" I exclaimed, "Lets head out!" I walked out the door, and they followed me. All except Gai who was held back by Tsunade-sama. I heard her faintly whisper to him, "Watch her closely. I don't entirely beleive her story. If anything fishy happens, come back." With a nod, he left.

So she didn't trust me, eh? That's fine. I had nothing to hide from them (Except maybe the curse) so I was at ease. After they gathered their things to prepare for the trip, we headed out. Luckily, I had made good time and there was still much of the day left. TenTen and Neji were quiet through-out the trip, but Rock Lee was quite talkative. He asked me questions about my village, and when I refused to answer, he started talking about himself. He talked about how he couldn't use any ninja or illusionary techniques, but he was a genius at hand-to-hand combat. I told him that I considered _no one_ to be a genius cause you always find someone better than them.

"But a genius doesn't necessarily mean being the best," he argued. "It just means you excel at a certain area better than most people. So a genius might overcome the stronger one eventually, with hard work."

"But!" I replied. "If he uses hard work then anyone can, in your beliefs, be a genius."

"Exactly! A drop-out can over come a genius with hard work."

I don't know why, but I thought those words sounded wise. The Neji fellow gave a humph! at hearing them. So he must be the genius. And if Rock Lee was the drop-out, then what was I? I'm not a drop-out because I always excelled in everything I did, but that was only because of the Dragon. In fact, without the Dragon, I would be a weak person, who had no special capabilities. Mother had something special about her. She was pretty, but not only that, she was strong. She could suppress the Dragon with her own power. Of course, she eventually gave in to the curse. I would too.

"Sarafu-san?" Rock Lee's voice woke me.

"Uh, yes?"

"What's wrong, you were suddenly quiet and had a gloomy look on your face?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was in thought. So what do you want?"

"Uh, nothing I guess."

An awkward silence fell after that. The silence caused me to go back to my thoughts. Why couldn't _I_ myself do anything? Why did I always rely upon the Dragon? I remembered my fight with Gaara. The only thing I could do was punch him in the face. He nearly choked me to death. And the next day, there wasn't even a little bruise on his cheek. I wish I could be like Mom, and fight with my own strength. Truthfully, I was weak.

I was so engulfed in my own thoughts that I didn't notice the Kunai knife coming my way. Rock Lee jumped in the air and knocked it away with a kick. I awoke and was starteled. "Sarafu-san, are you alright?" he asked.

"Uh...yes, I think so."

"Well," Gai said gravely, "whoever tried to attack you is gone now. I no longer sense them. Neji, scope them out with your Byakugan."

"Yes," he replied. Then he said calmly, "_Byakugan._" All eyes were on him. "I see him. He is only 40 meters northeast, but he's moving fast. Should we pursue him?" Gai looked at me. "Its your call. This is your mission."

I had finally come to my senses. SOMEONE HAD TRIED TO KILL ME! OH, THEY'RE GONNA PAY! I felt my anger rise. That was one of my bad traits. I was quick to anger. "HELL, YEAH! WE'RE GONNA KICK HIS ASS! HOW DARE HE!" They were all surprised at my sudden change of mood. I didn't wait for their opinion. I rushed of in the direction Neji had stated. They followed me.

Needless to say, in my fury, I catched up to my attacker quickly. I saw him and tackled him. We flew across the ground and skid to a stop. I got up, making sure to hold the arms down, and looked upon my attackers face. I gasped, and was frozen. I knew this face. My attacker kicked me in the stomach and I flew back. "Sarafu-san!" Rock Lee and the others had arrived. My attacker stood up.

"Ji-Jikuro?" I suddenly felt weak all over. Jikuro? Why was he here? And why did he attack me? "Jikuro? What's going on? Why did you attack me?"

TenTen stared at me. "You know him?"

Jikuro didn't answer.

"Jikuro! Answer me!" I was still sitting on the ground and I wasn't all too intimidating. I got up. My stomach didn't hurt that bad, but for some reason, my eyes burned.

Jikuro spoke, "Why did you lie to us? Were you planning to attack the village."

"What!" Gai's team looked at me with surprise.

"What do you mean, Jikuro!" I cried.

"Don't play dumb. You are the heir to be the next Dragon of the Moon. You are destined to destroy our village. You lied to us. Did you think I would just stand around and watch?"

"Actually, I was hoping you wouldn't find out at all."

"And not only that, but you hid the fact that you were a girl the whole time!"

"WHAT!" Rock Lee and Gai's mouths fell open. TenTen and Neji looked at them curiously. "You seriously couldn't tell?" They shook their heads.

"Now, _my friend_, die!" Jikuro threw a smoke bomb at the ground. He lunged through the smoke at me, with a knife in hand. Neji jumped up and karate chopped him in the neck. He fell down to the ground. His head hit the ground hard and he lost concioussness. "What hapened to that rage you had?" he said mockingly.

"Tch!"

He had a point. He may have been a friend in my eyes, but in his, I was a traitor. That proved my point. On my own, I coldn't even fight back against someone as weak as Jikuro. (Yes, he is my friend, but you got to be honest. All he did was come at me with a knife, and not with great precision either.) "So, what should we do with him?" Lee asked.

"We'll take him prisoner." I said. "He is, after all, my best friend. I will show him mercy, but tie him up."

"Well, that was a fast recovery."

"I have to have a fast recovery. I'm a ninja. Feelings must not get in the way of a mission."

I said that with such coldness, that it even surprised me. I had gone through such mood swings today, that I was mentally worn out. "I'm gonna take a nap, make sure he doesn't kill me, please." I curled up on the ground and fell asleep. Why was I so tired? I was soon deep asleep.

While I was asleep, TenTen and the others had begun to feel drowsy themselves. Then she realized, "Guys! That wasn't a smoke bomb! It was sleeping gas!" Neji took in the new information and despite the sleeping gas (and my orders) stabbed Jikuro with a kunai. BUT IT WAS A REPLACEMENT! "What!" they all exclaimed. "Oh, no!" Lee cried out, "He's after Sarafu-san." True, he was already over me and had thrust a knife down into my side. But do you really think a mere genin like him could really beat me so easily, even if he was my friend? HECK NO! That was a replacement also!

"What!"

I was behind him in an instant with my kunai to his throat. "I'm sorry, Jikuro, but I must live. If you will not leave me peacably, then I'll have to-" Too late. He swung around to attack but in my shock I moved backward which caused the kunai to cut into his neck. He succeeded in knocking me back, but I had already cut his throat. Blood was dripping down his neck. He fell to the ground. I sat there on the ground silently, stunned. Neji, Gai, Lee, and TenTen stared in silence. Jikuro lay on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding him. He was obviously dead. At first I was still. So still that I should think I had died also. Then I began to shudder violently. Tears streamed down my face although I did not sob. I had actually done it. I had killed Jikuro, one of my few and only friends. Some of his blood had splattered on my hands. I stared at them.

"I-I...did-dn't mean t-t-to..." That was all I could get out. _These tears, _I thought,_ won't wash away this blood. I killed him! I'm a murderer. I may have already become the dragon. I must get away! I must distance my self from everyone! Or I will kill them too! I'm a monster!_ I ordered my legs to move, but the were like stone. I must get away.TenTen came toward me sympathetically, and reached out her hand. I slapped it out of the way.

"DON'T COME NEAR ME!" I yelled. "I'M A MONSTER! I'LL KILL YOU!"

TenTen stared at me in surprise. Finally, I had control over my body, and I ran. To where? I didn't know, and I didn't care. I just wanted to get away from everyone. Why do I exist? Someone as horrible as me should leave the face of the earth. If I died, the curse of the Moon Dragon would end. Everyone would be happy.

That's it! I smiled bitterly. If I died, right here, right now, so many problems would be solved. So many lives would be spared. I see. So that was my purpose in life. My purpose was to die. So the curse would end. That's why I was born. The sound of rushing water came to my ears. A waterfall. That meant a cliff. If I jumped off, I would die. I ran in the direction of the sound, and indeed, I found a waterfall. I stood at the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, Gaara's face came to mind. Why was I thinking of him now? Oh, yeah. I won't be able to fullfill my promise if I die. But if he found out about me, he wouldn't like me anyways.

"So you're gonna commit suicide?"

I turned around. Neji was leaning against a tree, with that same uncaring face. I tried to speak but there was such a lump in my throat. I hadn't realized that I'd still been crying this whole time. They still flowed constantly, like this waterfall. I merely nodded.

"And what good will it do?" he asked me in an unchanging tone.

"If I die, the Curse of the Dragon of the Moon, will cease, and I..." I couldn't finish the sentence.

"And?"

"And a great burden would be lifted from the world. Many people will be spared."

"So you are saying, that if you live you plan to kill people?"

"Well, no...but I will eventually against my will."

"I don't know all too much about this curse of yours, but it doesn't have a hold on you yet."

"Exactly, which means I can't blame it for Jikuro's death."

Neji was silent. I guess he didn't have a comeback for that one. "But its not your fault either. In fact, if its anyone's fault, its Jikuro's."

"What?"

"If he hadn't moved, no, if he hadn't even attacked you, none of this would've happened. He probably wouldn't have stopped trying to kill you no matter what we said. One of us would have had to kill him anyway. You just happened to do it on accident."

I stared at him in silence. He looked up at me and his expression softened a little. "Its not your fault."

Those words were relief to me. The words I had been searching for all my life. The blame always seemed to go on me, because of the curse, and my own clumsiness. I always made mistakes. Even my very birth was considered a mistake. I had always blamed myself when something bad happened. I felt as though a great burden had just been lifted off my back. I even smiled, so great was my releif.

"You've never killed a person, have you?" I asked.

"Never."

I chuckled. "Lets go back, and clean up the mess."

"Ok, now you're sounding like a murderer."

_...to be continued._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**A/N:** EMO ALERT! R&R, please!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Ok, I've decided, that since I've typed most of this all ahead, I'm gonna give out a chapter daily! I'm just too impatient! So, enjoy, and check back everyday! (After 3, preferrably.)

**Waterfall Village: Jin, the Sneaky Brat**

We did, indeed, clean the mess up. It wasn't fun though. We dumped the body in the nearby waterfall (The one I _was_ going to jump off of.) My great mood swings helped me get over killing my best friend and all.

_Besides,_ a voice inside my head tempted me, _this gives you a perfect chance to break off all connections with your village and make new friends._ True. But it was still a little mean.

We continued our walk. Not much happened so far. We've been traveling for 2 days, and we were within good distance of the Waterfall Village. Feeling a bit playful, I turned to Lee and challenged him. "I bet I can make it there before you!"

"No Way!" He laughed back. "You may be a Chuunin, but I bet I've gone through more training."

"Wanna bet?"

"Alright! Last one to get there buys lunch."

"You're on!"

I stretched my legs a bit first, and then got ready. And when Gai said "Go!", I shot off down the road, but Lee was past me in a flash. "Wow! He's fast! But I can be faster." I made the hand signs, "rat", "Tiger", "bird", and said aloud, "Speed Technique!" My Legs were suddenly full of chakra, and I shot forth, past Lee.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahaha!"

I was going so fast, that the world was a blur around me. We weren't that far from the village, so I tried to stop and skidded, about half the way. When I finally stopped, I fell to the ground, in the middle of what seemed to be the village. There was the sound of running water. I looked around. Behind me was a great dust cloud and a parting in the ground, where my feet were. All around me, people were staring. I heard whispers of, "He suddenly appeared out of nowhere" and "Wow! That was fast!". Apparently, I didn't stop in time. I was already in the Hidden Waterfall Village.

I smiled at everyone, and then followed the trail I had left. I found out that I had ran straight through a fence. I wonder how far Lee and the others were. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground. That technique really _did_ waste chakra. I'd better learn to control it more, but at least it was worth the free lunch. I shakily got up. I saw what I thought was Lee, but it was only a traveler. He asked me what this long trail engraved into the ground was. I told him I didn't know, and asked him where I was. Apparantly, I wasn't in the Waterfall Village, but in Jukokuu City. I must have passed up the Waterfall Village. I really need to control that technique better. I may have gotten my body fast, but my eyes weren't able to keep up. Well, I needed to get out of this city and find the others.

As I was walking by I saw a little boy sitting on the ground near a shop. He had ragged clothes, and he wore a sign that said "Will work for food". I assumed he was a beggar child. He looked only 8 years old. I could tell by looking at him that he _could_ be handsome, if it weren't for the fact that he was so dirty. His light brown hair was all messy. Even though he called out to passing people, no one even glanced at him. I felt sorry for him. I went to a nearby grocery store and bought a loaf of bread. I walked back to the kid and handed him the bread. He looked up at me with big, watery eyes.

_Aaaaawwww! He was so cute! The poor little thing, how could people pass him up?_

"Sank you, sah!" he said with the cutest child-like voice, as his face lit up. Now he was even _more_ cuter. HANYAAAAANNN! I just wanted to hug him so tightly his head would pop off.

"What's your name kid?" I asked.

He answered plainly, "Me name's Jin, sah! Wha be yoh name?"

I told him my name.

"Are yah a ninja?"

I told him yes, and quite proudly. For a moment, I thought I saw him smirk evilly, but his face was cute and inoccent as always. "Where's your home, Jin?" I asked.

"I ain't got no home," he answered with the teariest look in his eye. It made me want to hug him even more.

"Do you want to travel with me, for a little bit? Until, we can find a nice, new home for you?" I asked, completely forgetting my mission.

He nodded his head exictedly. "Why yes! I would ju' luv dat! But may I go ge' me stu'. I left dem in me hidin' spot. I'll go fetch 'em and be right back in a jiffy!"

_'in a jiffy'? Who says that anymore?_ He ran off, but never returned. Instead, a much nicer lookin' kid came up to me a few minutes later and said, "Alright! Let's go!" I answered him with a curious look, "Do I know you, kid?"

"Not really, we only met, just a few minutes ago, but you do know my name, and its Jin."

I had a completely lost look on my face. "B-but...you look completely different. I thought you were a beggar child!"

"I'm not."

"What! You little loser! You lied to me! How dare you! I'm not taking you with me!"

"Why not? You promised you would take me with you until we found a suitable family for me to stay with. I didn't completely lie. Its true that I have no gaurdian, so I have no home. Its your fault for assuming I was begging."

"You had a freakin' sign!"

"So what? I may have wanted to save up money."

"Well,..uh..wha-you little-"

"Now, lets leave, lady."

"L-lady? I-I'm n-n-not a lady? Remember, you kept calling me 'sir'."

"Oh, stop pretending. It was easy to tell with you blushing, and fretting over me like that. And with a chest as big as that, its quite obvious."

My face lit up. "Why you little pervert! You're not cute at all!"

"I don't care. Now, lets go, _Big Sister_."

ARRGH! This kid was really ticking me off! But I had no choice. I _did_ say I was going to let him travel with me. First family I see and he is gone! "Fine!" I humphed at him, and began walking out of the city. After, we had walked some way, I asked him why he was even wanting to come with me.

"Because you're a ninja," was his answer.

"Why do you want a ninja?"

"None of your business."

"Apparantly, it is."

"I don't feel like telling you."

"Well, start feeling like it."

"What are you gonna do if I don't?"

"Oh, trust me. I know how to torture people."

"Like what?"

A smirk grew upon my face. "Like", I stuck my finger up my nose,"the 'booger' torture!" I began chasing him around with a nice, juicy booger on my finger. He screamed and ran away from me. I followed him, laughing evilly. Maybe I'd keep this kid around to torture him a little before I dump him off somewhere. After he screamed "OKAY! OKAY! I'LL TALK! I'LL TALK!" I wiped the buggar on a nearby tree, with a triumphant look on my face. He stood upright and fixed his shirt. He glared at me. "That is a complete and utterly immature torture technique."

"You didn't seem to think so before."

"Humph! How absurd!"

"Shall I get another one out?"

"Oh, PLEASE NO!"

"Well, then. Moving on, do you know where the Waterfall Village is?"

"Yeah."

"Then lead on, my little loser!"

"Shut up!"

He led the way, and in no time we were in the Hidden Waterfall Village. It was a really cool place. To get in, we had to enter through a cave behind a waterfall. I was really surprised he knew where the entrance was. When I asked him about it, he refused to answer. Even the booger torture didn't work, so I didn't press the matter. It wasn't as big as Konoha, but it wasn't small, either. It was beautiful with a glimmering lake in the middle. And in the middle of that, there was a big tree. I mean, it was HUGE! I looked around the place for Gai and the others, and eventually found them sitting in a sweets shop. They were surprised to find me. TenTen asked me frantically, "What happened? Where were you?"

"I'm sorry. I overdid the technique a little and ended up in Jukokuu City, which is nearby. And it wasted a lot of chakra, so I kinda,...lingered there for a bit."

"Who is the kid you have with you?" Lee asked.

"Oh, this guy? He's Jin. Just some beggar kid I picked up in Jukokuu City."

"I'm not a 'beggar kid'," Jin said angrily, "And you shall address me as 'Master' Jin from now on, or I will tell everyone your secret."

"What secret?" I asked him. "Oh, you mean the fact that I'm a girl. They already know that. But I thought you said it was 'obvious', Jin? Trying to use an 'obvious' secret against me? Fat chance, kid."

He glared at me, and maybe even growled. Neji didn't like the idea of having Jin around. "Why did you bring him? Have you completely forgotten about the mission? _Your_ mission," He exclaimed at me.

"What? No, of course not! (Yes.) He won't be that much of a bother. Its okay, as long as we keep him out of danger."

Neji was about to protest more, but Gai stepped in. "Quiet down. We need to leave here as soon as possible. The more time we delay, the more time Sarafu's village is in danger. Who knows whether or not danger will return?"

We all nodded, and headed out of the village. That night, while everyone was sleeping, Jin snuck around. He searched through all our stuff, but didn't take anything. But in mine, he found something even better. The following morning, I woke up earlier than everyone else. But Jin was up even before me. _He probably didn't even sleep_, I thought. I greeted him good morning, but I didn't like the way he greeted me back. "Ok, what are you up to? What did you do?"

He smiled mischievously. "I know about 'it'."

My face went pale. "You little brat! You went rummaging through my pack didn't you?"

He nodded. "And if you don't do what I say, I'll tell everyone about it."

_...to be continued._

**A/N: **I just realized. She never got her free lunch.


	5. Chapter 5

**Encounter with an Uchiha, Sarafu's Deepest Secret!**

What else was I to do? That Jerk, Jin(Did I ever mention that I hate the guy?) found out about "him". I had to do what he said. I couldn't risk everybody knowing. So I did as Jin asked. "Call me Young Master Jin," he said, "and give me all your sweets. I'm hungry."

I protested, telling him that eating candy, so early, wasn't a good idea, but he wouldn't have it. So I did. He "allowed" me to go to sleep after that, but I only got to sleep for 3 hours. He woke me up again, and early in the morning, too. "Go get me some berries. I want a fruit crepe for breakfast, today."

"But I don't even know how to make one of those!" I said.

"I don't care! Now, go, or I'll wake everyone up right now and tell them about y-"

"Fine! Fine! I'll get your stupid berries!"

I trudged off through the forest. There didn't seem to be any berries growing around here. I knelt down, and examined the ground. No, it was impossible for berries to grow here. The ground was to hard, and unfertile. Only sturdy trees and brush could grow here. Oh, well. At least I could get sometime away from that annoying brat. I walked into a clearing near a cliff. I heard something. I flicked around and saw a giant dragon heading my way! Just before it was about to hit the ground, the dragon swooped up and a person dropped down from the dragon. But before their feet barely touched the ground they were next to me in a second.

"So you are the Sarafu that forced my team to leave without me. Well, I will show just how big of a mistake you made even if it costs you your life," she said with an evil grin. She grabbed the collar of my shirt with her left hand and held me up above the ground.

_ Woah! She's strong!_ She threw me against the cliff edge and then rushed up to me with her scythe. It was an odd scythe. It looked entirely out of ice and had a weird shape to it. She put the blade close to my neck. "So, what do you have to say in your defense?" she sneered at me, just as Lee, TenTen, and Neji were running up.

"Hinako! Stop!" they all yelled at her, but all she did was move her posture into an even deadlier position. However, just when she was about to kill me, Neji jumped in the way and her sycthe stopped just an inch from his neck.

"Neji get out of the way. I do not wish to hurt you. It is Sarafu who I wish to hurt!" She said through clenched teeth.

"Hinako, it is our mission to guide her safely to her village, and see if it is in peril, and to help it if it is. I will not allow you to harm her untill after the mission, however when the mission is over I could care less what happens to her."

I glared at him for that last comment. _Jerk! He was a bit nicer by the waterfall. Now, he was so cold. If I die, I swear he would be one of the first people I would haunt. _But I think this Hinako saw my glare at him, and gave me an even nastier glare, which seemed to say, "Keep looking at him like that and I'll cut your head off, right here, right now." I smiled nervously, and she pulled her scythe away. She turned to Neji and said, "I promise that as long as the mission is going, I shall not harm Kichino Sarafu, however I also promise that when the mission is over I will fight her and win." My hand twitched. _ALRIGHT! BRING IT ON! DAMMIT! _

After that his eyes softened and he explained to her that they had tried to wake her, but she would not wake, so they had to leave her and carry out the mission. When she heard the explanation, she calmed down. After that, Neji began to talk to me and assuring me that my safety was assured, for the time being. I wasn't paying any attention. I was staring at Hinako, who had been staring at Neji the whole time. She began to blush. She then realized this, and quickly turned away. Then she said, "Well, shall we go? Daylight is being wasted".

We thus, proceeded on our journey. While walking, I heard some whispers. I looked over my shoulder a little. Jin was talking to Hinako in very hushed tones. I heard the words, "turtle" and "secret" and I realized that he was telling _my_ secret. My anger rose. Apparantly, Jin had found a new partner in torturing me with. Then he said, "See, I'll show you." He looked at me and yelled, "Hey, Sarafu!"

I turned on him with rage. "DON'T TALK TO ME SO FAMILIARLY!"

He glared. "I think you forget who you're speaking to." Everyone else began to look our direction to see what the commotion was. I began to get nervous. "Ok, fine. What do you want?"

"I want you to walk the rest of the way on your hands."

"WHAT!"

"You heard me. Do it, or else I'll-"

"Fine! Fine! Sheesh!"

Now everyone must have guessed that Jin had control over me. I wanted them to help me, but it wasn't worth the risk of exposing my secret. I got on my hands and lifted my feet into the air. I balanced myself, and began to take the first step with my hand, when suddenly, Lee was next to me, on his hands as well. "Wow! This is a great idea! We can train, while we walk." _Thank you, Lee! I'll remember this!_

"Alright!" Gai exclaimed. "I'll do it as well." He got on his hands and began walking ahead of us. Then, he stopped and turned his head back. "Why don't you join us?" he asked the other while smiling a sparkling smile.

"Uh, no," was all they said, and Neji added, "I don't _need_ to train this much." So we all continued on.

After a while, we were in Rock Country and were making good progress. We'd be to Mt. Hokkaido by the morrow, but it seems Jin and Hinako would have their fun along the way. They made me do all kinds of things for them: wash their clothes, buy them food, carry them on my back, fire their baths, and carry their packs, all while on my hands. Lee tried to help, but Hinako kept making him go away. I already could tell that everyone had realized that Jin was black-mailing me, but only Lee was nice enough to do anything about it. Jerks! I could only rely on Lee. Once we got into my territory, the tables would turn.

Next morning, we reached the base of Mt. Hokkaido. We would have made great progress, if it weren't for the fact that a terrible blizzard had struck the mountain. We were forced to find shelter in a cave, but before I could get settled, Jin came up to me with, yet, another task, "Go find some sticks to light a fire, and don't return till you've brought some."

I was tired, and didn't feel like fighting with him. "Fine, _Young Master Jin_."

He smirked.

I walked out of the cave and into the blizzard. No one realized I had left, except for Jin, because they were too busy setting up camp, and trying to find some food for dinner. The winds were strong. I barely made any progress at all. The snow began to pile up to my knees. I was so cold! Of course, I knew there was no way to find any sticks around here. Very few trees ever grew in the Rock Country, let alone Mt. Hokkaido. But what else was I to do? I wish I was strong enough to talk back. I gave a bitter chuckle. Man, was I pathetic. I was being controlled by a little 8 year old kid. What kind of Chuunin was I? I am such a weakling. I wish I could be like Lee. Heck, maybe even Hinako was better than me. I'm so weak. If it wasn't for the dragon, I wouldn't be able to do any of this on my own.

As I was walking the ground under me suddenly gave way, and I fell down the side of the mountain. "AAAAAAAHH!" _Hurry! Use your Chakra, to stop your fall!_ I screamed at myself. I concentrated my chakra towards my feet and I began to slow down, but it wasn't enough to stop me. I hit the ground hard. But the 2 feet of snow help to soften the blow. Never the less, I had broken my arm. The blizzard blew on relentlessly. A tear trickled from my eyes. Now I felt like crap. I was worn out, mentally and physically. I wished Gaara was here. He would make me get up (more than likely, by force.) When I was with Gaara, I seemed to be more energetic and felt like I was at the peak of life. I smiled. I really do hope to see him again. Next time I see him, I would give him a hug so tight, his ribs would crack. I laughed at the thought, but then stopped for the pain in my arm wasn't slackening. I could feel it and the ice around me wasn't numbing it. But the rest of my body was numb.

"Sarafu!"

_ What? Who's that calling my name?_ I got up into a sitting postition with some difficulties. My arm really hurt. I looked around, but the blizzard was so thick I couldn't see anything. Suddenly, Lee appeared through the snow! "Lee! What are you doing out here!" I gasped.

"I could ask you the same question. Why in the world did you do what Jin said?"

I looked away in shame. I had always tried to act tough in front of everyone, but now Lee saw me in such a weakened state.

"Come on," he said, "We need to get back to the cave."

I tried to stand up, but the numbness of my legs and the pain in my arm kept me down. I began to cry. "Lee, could you please not look at me, right now?" I asked, turning away my head.

"Why not?" he asked back.

I sniffled. "Because...I don't want you to see me cry."

His face softened into an expression of pity. "Okay." Without looking at my face, he lifted my unbroken arm around his shoulder, and helped me up. He carried me. After a period of silence he asked me what Jin was using to blackmail me. I didn't answer. He would hear soon enough.

_Why was I taking orders from some snot-nosed punk anyway? I'm better than this! How could I let myself become so degraded like this?_

I was beginning to get pumped up. Yeah! I'm a Kichino! I'm made of better stuff than this. I pulled my arm away from Lee and stood up on my own. Why was I letting Lee carry me like this? My legs were perfectly fine. It was only my arm that was broken. I began to walk by myself, and at a faster rate than Lee. I don't need his pity. How dare I let our clan be pitied! I'm going to show everyone that I'm not someone to push around. I'm not weak! I don't care if I use the dragon's power. I have acheived power of my own. I am myself. I will _make_ everyone acknowledge that.

I had reached our cave and stormed in. Everyone looked up at me. "Sarafu?" I ignored everyone else, and went straight to Jin. I picked him up by the neck with my good arm. He began to yell at me in protest, but I screamed, "SHUT UP!"

He quieted down and stared at me with fear in his eyes.

"IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU REALIZED WHO THE REAL BOSS AROUND HERE IS! YOU ARE A YOUNG BRAT WHO NO ONE WANTED AND I TOOK YOU IN. IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU SHOWED SOME RESPECT! I'M TIRED OF YOU ORDERING ME ABOUT LIKE YOU OWN ANYTHING! I'M GONNA MAKE YOUR LIFE MISERABLE, YOU LITTLE PUNK!" I felt steam rush out of my nostrils. I threw him down on the ground hard.

"Sarafu!" everyone stared at me in astonishment.

Jin got back up. "But-t," he stuttered. "I-I'll tell-"

"I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!" I yelled. I went to my pack and brought out a stuffed turtle. I held it out for everyone to see. "This is Puchii, my stuffed turtle. I've had him since I was about 3. He was given to me by a very special friend, and I'm not ashamed of him. There!"

There was an awkward silence after that. Everyone stared at me, and I stood there with my blood still rushing. "Ooookkaaaay." Hinako broke the silence. "That was a weird confession."

I turned on her feircly. "I'm not finished with you either! I never even met you, and you were already trying to chop my head off. I didn't do anything to you. It's your own damn fault if you slept in."

A vein popped out of her head. "What!" she growled.

I opened the breast pocket to my jacket and took out a scroll. "I will show you," I bit my thumb and unraveled the scroll, while wiping my blood on it, "NOT TO UNDERESTIMATE THE KICHINO CLAN!"

_...to be continued._

**A/N: **I feel a fight coming on.


	6. Chapter 6

**Feelings Arise! Sarafu vs. Hinako**

A great _poof!_ and smoke surrounded me. You could hear the crumbling of rocks and I summoned, Takuro, Dragon of Mist. He was huge! He had bright, emarald green scales and his wings hit the side of the mountain, causing an avalanche. I was on his back, and when I saw the rocks, I ordered him to cover my freinds with his body. The rocks bounced off of him, and I jumped out of their way. When the avalanche finally calmed down, Takuro moved away from the mountain. Everyone resituated themselves.

"Hmph!" Hinako said then turned to Neji and said, "I am sorry, but I am going to break that promise I made to you. Please forgive me, but I inteand to kill her".

_ Why was she standing there talking to him? She's wasting time!_ I glared at her and said, "What? Are you going to say good-bye to your love forever or are you going to get this battle started?" I knew I struck a nerve.

"You bastard! How dare you! At least I don't fall in love with a murdering, sand ninja freak, oh, and you should really think about not talking in your sleep." She bit her thumb and wiping the blood down the summoning symbols on her sycthe. Then she yelled "I WILL TEACH YOU THE HORROR THAT THE UCHIHA CLAN CAN REAP ON THEIR ENEMIES!"

At that time Lee had yelled "Hinako don't do it! Don't summon the Dragon of Time! It is out of her league. You will kill her!"

Hinako looked at him and said "That is the point, my friend ."

_Hmph! I'd like to see this dragon. _

She then looked at me and said "I suggest you summon your strongest dragon other wise you won't entertain me at all, and I hate it when people like you aren't entertaining."

Her insulting me was annoying. "You better not underestimate me!" I yelled. I could tell this was going to be real fun. With a great explosion of smoke, a great dragon appeared; one with light blue, reflecting scales and wide wings. I recognized this dragon. This was Silvanoeshi, the Dragon of Time. She must have been what helped Hinako get so strong. I had never heard of anyone making a blood pact with it. Hinako must have been the first.

I wasted no time. I launched Takuro at her, but Silvanoeshi got in the way. Using my confusion, she jumped up on the fighting dragons and launched herself down to me. She lifted her scythe and began to chop down, but missed by inches, because I jumped to the side. I then whipped out my kunai knife, and we battled on the ground as our dragons battled in the sky. I struck her from the left, and she blocked it with her scythe. Now that our weapons were in a dead-lock, I did a low-kick to try to trip her, but she jumped up in the air. I jumped up after her, in a spinning motion. She put her scythe in the way, and it cut my ear. It wasn't too bad though. I landed back down on the mountain-side, and threw some shurikens at her. She easily dodged, but that was what I wanted her to do. I moved my fingers a bit. I had attached a string of chakra attached to them and they began to come back. Unfortunately, she noticed them and moved to the side, but not before she yelled out, "ICE SHARDS!" and shards of ice came my way. I dodged, and landed, kneeling on the ground. I tried to balance myself, but my broken, right arm was causing me pain. It wasn't easy to fight with a handicap like this, so I used the blood from my ear, and summoned Konkichii.

"What!" Hinako exclaimed. "She can summon such high level dragons at once!"

Konkichii arose from the smoke and took in his surroundings. "So you've got yourself into another pickle, eh? Well, I guess I'm gonna have to help you. It seems you broke your arm."

I nodded. "We need to defeat her and quick. I can sense that tonight is going to be a full moon."

"So that's why you were able to summon me and Takuro at the same time. Well, in that case, we need to finish this quickly." Konkichii formed the seals with his short, clawed paws, and said, "Blazing Shurikens Technique!"

He breathed in deeply and shot out a continuous blaze of fire. I threw my shurikens into the fire. Konkichii stopped spouting his flames. The shurikens continued towards her, but now they were combusted. She dodged them closely, but one of the shurikens had caught the ends of her robe. She quickly put them out, but when she looked up, me and Konkichii were right in front of her. We punched her in the face and she went flying back.

"We got her!" I exclaimed with delight.

But it was a replacement. I turned around and she had her scythe to my neck, I quickly ducked and shouted to Takuro, "Create a mist!" He nodded slightly, and began to spin very fast. This is how he creates a mist: There are little water droplets on his scales, and as he spins fast like this, they fly off and hang in the air, thus creating a mist.

I concealed myself, while Konkichii distracted her, but she was no fool. She used the Shadow Clone Technique. Two other Hinako's appeared and they jumped into the mist after me. Crap! At this rate, the full moon would be out in no time. We battled for a long time like this, and then she yelled, "I'm tired of this! Breath of Ice!" A great gust of wind blew the mist away, and it had little shards of ice in it, also, and they scratched all over my body, and Konkichii's. With the mist cleared, the full moon was clearly visible.

"Oh, no!" Konkichii cried. "We were too late. Now she will go berserk!"

I stood there, staring at the moon. Its light seemed to wrap around me, and engulf me. Meanwhile, Hinako's shadow Clones had found me, and were rushing towards me, but I did not move. I began to feel this great excitement. _Amazing,_ I thought, _how the night air seems to refresh you. _My broken arm began to feel better. The Hinako's jumped into the air with their scythes raised in the air. I smiled. _Yes. This power was what I needed_. An even greater gust than the Breath of Ice appeared, and it blew all the Hinako's and Konkichii away. The wind kept blowing. A blazing white chakra began to spiral around me. All my wounds healed, and my hands began to shift and change. Scales, as blazing a white as my new chakra, began to form on my arms and spread, like a disease, all over my body. My hair began to grow at an incredible speed and horns grew out of my forehead. My teeth grew fangs, and my nails became claws. An extra claw grew out of the back of my heel. My pupils began to grow thin until they became like slits in my eyes. My back felt like it was on fire. I could feel the pain and could trace it to be in the shape of a crescent moon.

I could feel power surging through me, and I knew that it was the power of the ominous Moon Dragon. I laughed evilly. "Hinako!" I called out in a playfull tone. "You wanted to see my strongest dragon right? Well, I _AM_ my strongest dragon!"

On that note I launched after her. She jumped away and stopped to observe me. She knew that close combat was useless, so to create distance, she formed the seals horse, monkey, bird, serpent, dragon and a wall of ice grew between us. She jumped away and her eyes became red. I knew this was none other than her clan's infamous Blood-line Limit, the Sharingan! With those eyes, she could detect me more.

The Uchiha formed even more seals, and sharp icicles rained down on me. I didn't move at all, and was cut. Blood ran down my arm, but it didn't phase me. They healed just as fast as they got on there. I leisurely jumped up towards Hinako and clawed her leg. Blood gushed out of her wound. Then she called out, "Mangekyou Sharingan!" and I was suddenly in a different world of inverted colors. I was tied up against a cross and couldn't escape. Hinako was in front of me and she began stabbing me. I didn't even cry out, my amazing chakra would instantly heal it. I felt pain, and looked down.

_What the! Its not healing! What is this world!_

She stabbed me like this for what seemed like hours Eventually, she began to look tired and I was out of that terrible world. We were back on the mountain and she had collapsed on the ground. I stood over her with my claws gathered to a point. I was ready to stab her heart. She was going to pay for putting me through that hell! Suddenly, a great white dragon swooped around nearby. It was-

"M-Mom!" I gasped.

She didn't seem to have noticed me and was flying around near the peak of Mt. Hokkaido. _No! Mother was attacking the village! Again!._

"STOP KICHINO!" Hinako yelled. "We have to get rid of that dragon. We will continue this battle later."

I agreed with her, the village came first. We directed both our dragons to attack Mom. Seeing her attackers, the dragon flew away and the sun came up. I looked up and saw smoke coming from the village. _Oh, no!_ I thought. I began to move toward it, but I was stopped by the pain. All my dragon features began to undo themselves. Neji, Lee, TenTen, and Gai ran up to us. I collapsed into Lee's arms, and all was black.

..._to be continued._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Ok, I find this chapter a little pointless, but it was needed to explain the next upcoming chapter. And I threw Gaara way out of whack, but please enjoy reading anywho.

**Return to the Sand Village! Moping Isn't Fun!**

When I awoke, I was lying on a not too comfortable tatami mat. Next to me was Hinako. She was sleeping so quietly, and so softly I almost thought she was dead. I smiled slightly. She may have tried to kill me, but I gained a slight respect for her. I got up and noticed that someone had dressed me in new clothes. I was hoping it was TenTen. I looked around and found it strange to find myself in a room. Wasn't I just on Mt. Hokkaido? That's right! The village! I ran outside and stopped dead in my tracks. There, in front of my eyes, was my village, burned to the ground.

I felt a slight pang in my side and was about to cry. _No! Hold them in! I musn't cry! That would mean I'm weak!_ I recollected myself and saw Neji and Lee walking towards me from the other end of the village, carrying pieces of lumber, for a fire, I would presume. When they noticed me standing there, their face got a gloomy expression. "Sarafu..." Lee said. But my awkward smile stopped him.

"Don't worry, Lee," I said with a strained smile. "I'm alright! The village wouldn't have lasted long anyway, living on top of a mountain like that. We were soft people."

He gave me such a look of pity. But I didn't want his pity.

I took a deep breath and looked up at the morning sun. "In fact, I'm not really all too bothered by the fact that my village was just destroyed, and that I'm the only one left. I was alone to begin with." Then my smile faded. "What really angers me is the fact that my _mom_ was the one who destroyed it. From the looks of it, she is completely the Moon Dragon now. Her concious no longer exists."

Lee and Neji looked at me with troubled looks on their faces. I could feel my anger rise. That stupid mother of mine. One day, she will pay for all that she's done. I looked at them with a calm smile on my face, and then walked away. It was amazing that that little house had survived the attack. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and knocked into a burnt gourd. Gourd! That's right! Gaara! I hadn't seen him in so long! And now that I had no village, maybe I could get the Village of the Sand to take me in, and then I would have plenty of time to play with Gaara! Yes!

I walked back to the nearly burned house to tell Gai and the others. I found Hinako awake. I smiled at her and held out my hand saying, "That was a good fight. I was not disappointed." She looked at me, and then shook my hand. I hoped we could be friends after this. TenTen smiled and said, "I'm glad those two are getting along."

Gai walked into the room. "Umm, Gai," I asked him, trying to be polite. "Would it be alright if we stopped by the Sand Village for a second?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

I stared at him in surprise. "Why not?"

"Because you are Konoha's responsibility now. We have to head straight back!"

"But-"

"No! The mission was a failure enough."

I tried to protest more, but he wouldn't have it. So I pouted. We traveled back to Konoha, but when we were closest to the Country of Wind, I ran off. I wouldn't let them control my life now. I was finally free, and I wanted to see Gaara. Now, I had nothing to hold me back. I ran away in the middle of the night, making sure everyone was asleep, but apparantly I didn't check well enough, because Jin and Hinako followed me. When we were quite a good distance away, they showed themselves and Hinako said, "So you _are_ going to go see Gaara go after all."

"Hinako! What are you doing here? I thought you were asleep, and you too Jin!"

"We weren't asleep. I thought you would try to run away, so I only pretended to be asleep."

"Are you gonna stop me?"

"No, I'd like to see this Gaara person. From what I've heard, I find it odd that you like him at all."

"Hey, what do you know about him!"

"And," Jin stepped in, "What do _you_ know about him."

I couldn't answer. The truth was, not a lot. I only met him once, and the only thing I really fell in love with was that icy cold stare. Ah! It still sends shivers of joy down my spine! I really knew nothing about him. But that didn't make me anymore deppressed. In fact, it made me even more determined to see him, and learn more about him. Even if he couldn't return my feelings, at least we could be friends.

The wind blew and my now long hair flew into my face. It hadn't dawned on me till now, that I had probably better cut my hair, cause he might not recognize me if I didn't. But I liked the long hair, it was a sign of my new life. So, I took out my kunai knife and cut my hair, but not too short. I took a ribbon out of my pocket and tied my hair into a ponytail. My hair was just long enough that it all fit into the ponytail, but short enough, that the ends stuck out, creating a spiky look. I liked it. I smiled at my new freinds.

"Well, lets go."

They nodded and we left.

In a days run, we made it to the Village of the Sand. I was surprised that Jin could keep up with our pace. "You know," I said to him, when we arrived. "You're a really tough kid." He smiled at me while breathing heavily.

We walked around for a while and then Hinako said to me annoyingly, "You don't know where he is, do you?"

I smiled nervously. "O-of course. I just needed a cool down walk."

She gave me a glare. And then I answered, "No, I don't." But, my luck was amazing and Gaara and his team walked in from outside the village. They must have been out on a mission. I ran up to him, and before I could stop myself, I jumped towards him and gave him a hug. I know this sounds corny, but I was so over-joyed at seeing him, that I couldn't help myself. Something about the way he looked gave me such a relieved feeling. Everyone stared at us in stunned silence, even Gaara.

"Why are you crying?" he asked in a soft tone. It was true. The tears I had been holding in this whole time, suddenly found their way out. I hid my face in his clothes. I was embarassed about my conduct.

"Will you let go of me?" he asked. It took me a while, but I did let him go eventually. I tried to hide my face. He led me aside from the others. "What happened?" he asked. He was acting totally different from before. Why was he being nice to me all of the sudden? I didn't care. I liked nice, better than trying to kill you. So, I told him. His face remained unchanged the whole time. When I had finished, he did what I think was supposed to be a smile but it kinda creeped me out, and he said, "Are you lonely?"

I thought long and hard. I asnwered him truthfully. "Actually, no. I'm not lonely. Not a bit. I have freinds now, whereas I didn't have freinds before."

"Then why did you cry?"

"Because my mom was the one who did it."

"Well, then, you know your problem now. You need to sort things out with your mom, if you can. I've never talked to a dragon before, but you do realize, that you'll probably have to fight her again, one day?"

"Yes."

"Well, then, I should say you are fine. You're really a strong person to just cry a little after that."

My eyes got huge and a grin spread across my face. "REEEEAALLLLLYYYY? YES!" I jumped up and down. I felt a lot better now. "Thanks Gaara!"

Then I pointed my finger at him. "BUT YOU ARE STILL MY RIVAL! I DON'T WANT TO OWE YOU SOMETHING, SO WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

He looked at me quizically. "I can have anything?"

"No, not anything, but within bounds of what I think fair."

"Alright, then spend the day with me."

I blushed. "Wha-what? D-do you mean, l-like a d-date?"

"No, I want you to be my servant for a day."

My red cheeks got even redder. "WHAT! I've got to be a slave AGAIN!"

"Again?"

I turned away. Dammit! This guy is not nice at all. All he did was talk to me. Jerk! That was asking too much. _But!_, a voice in side my head said, _This would be a great chance to get to know Gaara. If you are his servant, then that means you'll be with him everywhere! _

You do have a point there. I could learn all his weaknesses and flaws.

_Or his likes._

Yeah, those too, but mainly his weaknesses. And then, after that, I could challenge him to a duel of some sort.

_Like what?_

I'll figure that out when the time comes.

"You know, Sarafu," Hinako said. "You really shouldn't talk to yourself like that. It scares people."

I was awakened. I cleared my throat. "Ugh-egh! Yeah, uhh, Gaara, as my rival, _and only that_, I agree to your terms, and will be your servent until the end of today!"

"Alright, first order of busniess, carry my gourd, and go wash it. It looks dirty."

_I should say so. Its made of sand!_ He took off his gourd, that was strapped around his back and he handed it to me. I grabbed it, but almost dropped it, because it was so dang heavy!

"You can go wash it off, at that well over there."

He pointed, but I saw no well. "What well?"

He pointed again, and then I saw it. I heaved the gourd over there and then looked into the well. "AAAYEEEEE! You expect me to use this!"

"Yes."

"But its barely got any water in it, and there's no pail to draw it out with!"

"Looks like you'll have to figure it out. I'll come back in an hour to pick up my gourd. I expect it to be spotless."

"How the hell am I supposed to wash this? Its made of sand!"

"Figure it out."

He walked off, and Temari and Pajama Pants followed him. Hinako and Jin walked over to me. I pleaded them for help but they said, "Uh-un. This is your problem. You get yourelf out of it."

I glared at them and looked at the gourd. I tried dusting the sand off of it, but that was useless.

Later on, "It took me about 45 minutes, but I think I've got it."

"What are you talking about?" Jin said. "It looks just the same as before. You did nothing, but hover around it."

"Well, to begin, it wasn't dirty to begin with! Its made completely out of sand, so what could make it dirty? Nothing!"

"You're an idiot. I don't think that's it."

"What do you know?"

"A lot more than you obviously."

"Grr."

I spent my last few minutes arguing with Jin, when Gaara appeared. "Ah! Gaara! Isn't it clean?"

"No. You did nothing to it. Were you just laying about this whole time?"

Jin and Hinako answered at the same time, "Yes."

Gaara looked at them. "Who are you?"

I jumped up from my pool of tears. "Oh, yeah! I haven't introduced you guys yet. This is Uchiha Hinako and Jin. Just Jin. They're my freinds. If you can call them that. Hinako tried to chop my head off, and they both drove me insane."

"Well, if you ask me," Jin said, "What's insane is your outfit. I mean, come one, girl, do you _want to_ look like a boy. Its totally unappealing. You'll never attract guys like that."

I shoved my elbow into his head. "What did you say, you little brat! Have you not listened to anything I've said these past few days!"

"Hey! That hurt!"

Pajama Pants chuckled. "Heh. If you ask me, you're both brats."

I turned on him with righteous fury. "What did you say?"

Gaara ignored our little squabble and handed a bundle of brown cloth.

"What's this?" I asked him as I took it and unfolded it.

"Your costume for the next assignment. The Academy is supposed to have a jounin speak to them today, but none are available, so they picked us, but we don't feel like doing it, so you have to, and you'll be wearing this."

I looked at the costume. "WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE TO WEAR THIS!"

Gaara looked at me with a serious face that didn't fit his words. "Because it'll be entertaining."

I smoldered, but gave in. I changed in a nearby store's bathroom, and when I came out, everyone laughed at me. I was in a giant raccoon outfit, with a little pink bow on the ear, and it had a ninja jacket on. I wanted to kill myself.

Gaara wasn't smiling however. He still had that same poker face on the whole time. "Oh, and you'll be referring to yourself as Rina the raccoon from now on," he said to me in that deep voice of his.

I nodded glumly and followed him to the Academy.The kids there were devils from below. They laughed at me, and didn't even listen to anything I said. They even thew some of their lunch at me, so that the costume got dirty, and then Gaara made me clean it!

But that was only the beginning. Gaara made me clean his clothes, clean his apartment, cook him dinner, four times because he wasn't pleased each time, then he made me do the dishes, massage his feet, buff Kankurou's puppets, clean Temari's fan, sharpen their kunai's and he even made me save a kitten that got stuck in a tree, at Temari's request.

By the end of the day, I was bushed! But Gaara wasn't finished.

"Next assignment," Gaara spoke out. "Defeat Kankurou. "

I looked at him. "What did you say? Defeat Pajama Pants?"

"Yes. He's been itching for a fight, and its been getting on my nerves lately."

I smiled and cracked my knuckles. "I've been waiting a long time for this moment."

Pajama Pants glared at me. He took the thing off his back and set it down. I didn't exactly know what it was, because it was bandaged up, and only a puff of brown hair poked out from the top. "I've been waiting to kick your ass too."

"Just you watch, Gaara, I'll show you that I'm worthy of being your rival."

_...to be continued._


	8. Chapter 8

**Sarafu vs. Pajama Pants**

I didn't waste any time. I formed the seals: Sheep, Ox, Dragon, Monkey, Tiger, Rat and Ram. "Invisible Jutsu!" I felt my body become clear. I looked down at my hand, but didn't see it. Good. This technique used to wear me out, but maybe I'll last a bit more. I heard Hinako's voice, "Sharingan." She must be trying to see me. She better not tell him where I am. Pajama Pants pulled the string, and the bandages flew off of what appeared to be a puppet. I quitely tip-toed behind him and took out a kunai knife. I was about to strike when suddenly, I was struck in the back. I gasped and turned around in surprise. It was his puppet. One of its hands had turned into a knife and had stabbed me. That wasn't the most shocking thing. _How could he see me?_

Pajama Pants moved his fingers and the other arm showed a series of knives. It then proceeded to sling towards me, but I jumped out of the way. While in the air, I undid the jutsu, and landed on my feet, a few meters away. There was no need to sustain the technique if I could be seen. But how was he able to see me? I glanced at the ground and had to smack myself on the head. _IDIOT! Your footprints in the sand._

I had no time to hang around cause Pajama Pants sent his puppet towards me. I leaped to the left. The puppet opened its mouth and poisonous gas spewed out. I held my breath and jumped away. Luckily I didn't inhale anything. When I was out of reach, I whipped out a scroll and opened it. I bit my thumb and wiped some of my blood on the writing. I formed the summoning selas and called out, "Twin Dragon Swords!" And out popped two swords of beautiful craftsmanship. They had jagged ends and there was a bell attached to a string at the the end of the handles. The only difference was, that one of them had a silver bell, and the other gold. I held them expertly and showed them to Pajama Pants.

"Do you know what these are?" I smirked.

He looked at me with an annoyed expression on his face. "I don't know and I don't care."

I ignored his remark and chuckled. "These are the legendary Twin Dragon Swords, created from the Scales of the previous Moon Dragon, my great grandmother. This one-" I lifted the one with the silver bell "is called Death, and this one-" I showed him the one with the golden bell "is called Life. You'll see why." I rushed toward him and made a swipe with Life. He blocked it with his puppet and jumped back. I stood there and pointed at his puppet. There, on the puppet's chest, were flowers and grass growing out of the cut that was made by my sword.

"Now, just imagine what Death will do," I grinned. He replied me with a "Tch!" and I again rushed toward him. This time, he made both him and his puppet jump out of the way. A wise decision, but he wasn't fast enough. I lept into the air after them, and sliced off his puppet's leg. The wooden leg fell to the ground and crumbled into ash. And so did the rest of his leg area as the spreading disease turned half of its body into ash. "Looks like you'll need something a bit tougher than wood."

He glared at me and I grinned back. I hope Gaara was watching this. Heck, I hoped everyone was watching this, except for Konkichii. He would severely chastise me for this. The Twin Dragons were an unstoppable force, but they came with a price. I just couldn't afford to lose to this guy. Speaking of this guy, Pajama Pants cried out, "Karasu!" and his puppet flew towards me. So his puppet's name was Karasu. Since its a puppet, I couldn't do _that_ technique.

I began to feel very tired. The effects of the Swords were beginning to show. I'd need to finish this quickly. I threw the sword, Death, towards him, and he again blocked it with Karasu. While that was happening I stabbed the ground with Life and trees and brush began to grow and the formed a circle around Pajama Pants. I moved Life to the right while it was still in the ground and vines shot out from the tree. They wrapped themselves around Pajama Pants. One of the vines wrapped around his throat and began to choke him. He moved his fingers and sent for Karasu to come help him.

"Oh, no you don't!" I ran over, and grabbed Death and sliced Karasu in half, just before he could make it. Karasu turned into a pile of ash and was blown away by the wind. I continued to choke Pajama Pants and when he finally fainted, I let him go, and killed the trees with Death. I took out another scroll and sealed the Swords back into them. When I finished, I nearly fell down. That technique wasted a lot of chakra. That was such a stupid thing to do. Now I would have to sacrifice something to the Twin Dragon Swords. Everyone, sensing that the battle was over, came up to me. Temari picked up Pajama Pants. But, someone I did not recognize came up to me and said, "Good Job. The next task will start later. You need to rest. You've obviously used up a lot of chakra." This person had spiky red hair, and was a little creepy looking, but attractive at the same time. And he carried around this gourd on his back.

I turned to him and said, "Who are you?"

"Sarafu are you okay?" Hinako asked me with some hopefulness in her voice. "Did you get hit in the head or something?"

"No, of course not, Hinako, why would you think that? And who is this red haired guy?"

_Why was everyone staring at me like that? I could remember everything perfectly, but this guy really didn't ring a bell. _

Then I heard Lee's voice yelling, "Hinako are you and Sarafu all right?"

"Yeah we are all fine, for the most part."

Lee, Tenten, Neji, and Gai-sensei all came, running up. Oh, CRAP! I just remembered that I wasn't supposed to leave. GAI WAS GONNA KILL ME!

Hinako turned to the red head and said, " Please watch over her for the time being, Gaara, while I talk with Gai-sensei about what must be done, okay?" He nodded and stayed by my side. I looked up and stared at him.

"What?"

"Its obvious to tell that I sacrificed my memories of you to summon the swords, but that's not it."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't just take the memories of any one,...it takes the memories of the thing you cherish most."

His eyes widened a little and then he went back to his expresionless face. I blushed a little. I must have _really _liked this guy, to go all out for him. Hinako was talking to Gai for a very long time. I wondered what they were talking about? "Oh, yeah!" I exclaimed in realization. "Gaara-san, was it? What do you want for Christmas?"

"Huh?"

"Well, Christmas is coming up, and since I don't remember anything about you, I kinda need help."

"...Well, I could use a new pair of sandals..."

"Alright! Its done!" I smiled at him, and his hard face began to lighten up a little. This guy wasn't so bad after all. A little boring, but at least he was hott.

Hinako came back and she grabbed me by the hand, while saying, "Sorry, Gaara-san, but I will be taking her back to Konoha to get her checked out by Tsuanade-sama, so see you around."

"What? Checked out? There's nothing wrong with me?"

"That, my freind," Hinako said, "is where you are seriously wrong." She helped me up on a dragon, which I assumed she summoned, and hopped on herself. She then yelled "Hold on tight, everybody. This will be a bumpy ride!" and we flew off to Konoha. It took us about a day to get there, but we made it in good time.

When we arrived at Konoha, they put me in the hospital. _Why does everyone think I'm sick?_ After a while, Tsunade-sama came into my room to check up on me. She did some psychological tests and checked out the rest of me. She then reported to her assistant, Shizune, "Well, besides severe fatigue, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her. As for her memories, I don't know of any way to get them back." She then poked my fore-head with her finger. "Never do something so reckless again. And if I find this Gaara, I'm gonna make sure he won't be able to walk straight ever again."

I got worried. "Please don't punish him! Although, from what everyone tells me, he did order me to fight the Pajama Pants, I think he was just trying to test me! I don't think he knew I would go that far! Its not his fault! I probably could've beaten Kankurou without the Twin Dragon Swords, but I wanted to show off! Please don't hurt him, Tsunade-sama!"

She sighed. "Fine, but next time, get some backbone and don't do what he says. You are free to leave the hospital now." She began to walk out of the room, but stopped when I said, "umm.."

"What is it?"

"Well, where am I gonna go now? I don't have a village anymore, and my only known living relative is a psycho dragon lady."

"Well, that is a problem. I don't suppose you have your paperwork with you?"

I shook my head.

"Well, I guess you can become a Konoha ninja...but you can't be a chuunin anymore."

"WHAT! WHY NOT!"

"_WE_ as the Village of Konoha, don't recognize you as a chuunin without your paperwork. I can make you a genin, but you'll have to pass the chuunin exam."

"But it was so hard to pass..."

"Well, at least you have some experience. You can make a new team with Hinako and I'll see if we can find someone else, to make it a three-man team."

"Ah! What about Jin? He doesn't have a home, either! Maybe he can join us!"

"But he's not a ninja. He'll have to go through the Acadmey first."

"But if he passes, he can join us?"

"I don't see why not."

"Yatta! I'm gonna train the heck out of him."

"Why do you want him to be on your team so much?"

I blushed. "Well, I'm very shy around strangers, and I would feel akward with someone else."

Tsunade-sama laughed at me and then said, "Well, you are a weird one. Almost like Naruto. But as for a place to stay, you'll have to ask Hinako, or TenTen if they can let you spend the night, until we can get things situated."

"Yes! Oh, and thank you for all your help, Tsunade-sama!"

"Yeah, whatever. Bye." She then left the hospital room.

After I got dressed, I walked around the village trying to find Hinako, or TenTen. I saw Neji, and I asked him, but he said that he didn't know where they were. Later, I saw Gai-sensei, and he told me that he just saw Hinako walk out of the Hokage-sama's office not too long ago. I went over there, and searched around the area, and finally found her coming out of a book store. "Hey, Hinako!"

"Ah, Sarafu? What are you doing out of the hospital?"

"Why the heck was I in there in the first place! There was nothing wrong with me!"

"Sorry, sorry, but it never hurts to be careful."

"Anyway, I was wondering if I could spend the night at your place until Tsunade-sama finds a place for me to stay?"

"Uh, sure, but I'm Christmas shopping right now."

"Really? Then, can I shop with you?"

"Sure, but do you have any money?"

I froze, and checked my back pocket. My wallet was there, but there was barely anything. How the heck was I supposed to buy Gaara sandals with this much money? Hinako laughed and said, "Looks like you're gonna have to find a job. Try doing some missions. You get money from those."

"But, technically, I'm not a Konoha ninja yet. Tsunade-sama told me to come back tomorrow to fill out the paperwork."

"Well, until then, start asking around for odd jobs. I'd give you one myself, but I need this money to shop."

I sighed. "Thanks anyway. See you later."

"Alright, oh, by the way, my house is by the Academy. Just ask for directions, and you'll find it. See you tonight!"

"Yeah, See you tonight."

I walked off, sulking. No jobs until tomorrow? But I needed to buy Christmas presents now. It was the tenth, and Christmas was only fifteen days away. I asked around, but everyone was just like Hinako. They needed their money for presents too. I eventually just ended up walking around the city, when I saw a girl come out of a store, trip and fall. All her things went flying out of her hands. I quickly ran and grabbed them, just before they hit the ground. I helped her back up and she gave me a quiet "Thank you."

"No problem," I said. "But this is a lot of stuff. Do you want me to help carry it for you?"

"Oh, no, you don't have to-"

"Nah, I don't have anything to do right now, and I'm new around these parts, and you can show me around."

"Ah, thank you again."

"By the way, my name's Kichino Sarafu."

"uh, my name is Hyuuga Hinata."

"Hyuuga? Are you related to Neji-san?"

"You know Neji-niisan? Yes, he's my cousin. He's from the Branch family, and I'm from the Head family. Our fathers were brothers."

I held her bags and we began to walk around.

"So, you two must get along well, then?"

"Well, we do now."

"Now?"

"Umm, its nothing..."

"Okay, its none of my busniess."

I helped her shop the rest of the day, and then headed over to Hinako's place. I found out that she lived in an apartment complex. I asked the clerk at the desk for her room number and went up there. I knocked on the door and Hinako answered.

_...to be contionued._


	9. Chapter 9

**The Village of The Sky's Spy. Hello Team 15's New Sensei!**

Hinako had a cozy little apartment. It was a simple size with one room for the kitchen and one room for the bathroom all connected to the living room. "But where do you sleep?"

She pointed to the couch. "I have a futon."

"Where are your parents?"

Her face got dark. "They're dead."

"Oh, gee...I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"So,...where do I sleep?"

"I don't know. I wasn't expecting you. I have some blankets in that closet over there."

"I'll just sleep on the floor, I guess."

Suddenly there was a loud bang from upstairs. "What the heck was that!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, that's Uzumaki Naruto. He lives just above. I wonder what in the world he's doing to make such a noise. Anyway, good night."

"Good night."

After I was sure that Hinako fell asleep, and more sure than I was last time, I got up and went to the window. I had noticed before that there was a sparrow perched in the tree by the window. I didn't look any different, but it had stayed in that exact same spot the entire time, and there wasn't even a nest in the tree. I opened the window, and allowed it to perch on my finger. I saw that there was a note concealed by its tail. I took the note and opened it. It was hard to decipher because of the bad handwriting, but I had learned how to read this hand-writing well. It said,

_We understand that you are in Konoha. You don't have to come back. Keep our secret, but continue to search for away to extract your curse. And find out any usefull information._

I chuckled to myself. The bad handwriting wasn't to hide the message, Yoko-sama just couldn't write. It was a wonder how he became the Sorakage. I took a pen out of my pocket and wrote on the back of the paper,

_I'll return when I find something out._

Looks like I'll be a spy from now on. But why would Yoko-sama want information from Konoha? He wasn't planning on becoming their enemy, was he? I put the issue out of my mind and went back to sleep.

The next day, I filled out my paperwork with Tsunade-sama and Hinako. "What about Jin-san?" I asked.

"Well, today, we're giving him the Academy Graduation test a bit early, to see if he even needs training." Tsunade-sama answered.

"I highly doubt that he will make it," Hinako said. "He doesn't seem to have had any training, although he is a good runner."

When we were finished, Tsunade-sama said we had some free time until Jin was done with his test. Tsunade-sama would send Shizune to get us. We walked around the town and stumbled upon Lee and Gai-sensei. They treated us to oden and when we left, I asked Hinako, "Do you think Neji would do some peeking with his Byakugan? He can see through walls and stuff."

Hinako blushed. "Wha! Neji would never do something so low!"

"Whatever. Just asking. I was trying to think of what to get him, so I guess the Playboy magazine is out."

"That sounds more along the lines of Jiraiya."

"Who?"

"Never mind."

As we were walking, Hinako noticed someone coming out from a bookstore and she called out, "Hey, Shikamaru!" The guy noticed us and said, "Hey, Hinako, what's up?"

"Nothing really. I was just walking around with Sarafu, here."

"Who?"

"Oh, yeah! You don't know her. This is Kichino Sarafu," she gestured towards me. "Her home town was destroyed, so she's living here with us now."

"Oh, really? That's odd. What's her rank."

I felt awkward being so quiet, so I answered for her. "I _was_ a Chuunin, but since I don't have paperwork, I've been reduced to a Genin, now."

"That sounds troublesome."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, I gotta go. See ya, Hinako."

We continued walking on. Hinako told me that Shikamaru was very lazy, but despite that, he was a Chuunin. We continued to just walk around until Shizune called us. We went over to the Academy and saw Jin standing there with a fore-head protector in his hand. "Look, Sarafu! I'm a ninja! Just like my mom and dad!"

"Wait. Jin, your parents were ninja?"

"Yup. They were Waterfall ninja."

"You never told us that!"

"Really? Well, now you know."

"But it really is impressive to become a genin in only one day, like that," Hinako said. "What training did you have?"

"No one trained me. I taught myself."

"Wow!" I gasped. "So you must be what they call a genius."

We walked over to the teacher, who was named Iruka-sensei, and we talked over the details of the test. The test was over shuriken throwing and the replication technique, and he did both perfectly. _How do you teach yourself ninjutsu?_ I thought. Tsunade-sama walked over to us with a really pretty woman, and said, "This is your new sensei, Kyosuke-sensei." Kyosuke-sensei had long, beautiful hair. And wore a beautiful green kimono.

"I would like to give you a test first to test your abilities if that's alright, and from now on please call me Mr. Kyosuke. The sensei suffix makes me nervous."

My brain stoppped processing. "Mr.? Aren't you a girl?"

"Oh, no. Though I'm flattered that you thought I was. I am Hagura Kyosuke, the most beautiful man in the world!"

The only thing that went through my mind was

"OH MY GOD!"

_...to be continued._


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Heehee. Sorry. Forgot about this chapter.

**Challenge: Escape Sarafu!**

"The test is simple," Kyosuke-sensei explained. "All you need to do is find me."

"Huh?" we all said.

He chuckled and then suddenly, the world around us began to change. I couldn't see Tsunade-sama, or Kyosuke-sensei anymore, but I could see Hinako and Jin, but everything else was a world of white. Then, rows and rows of clothes appeared.

"Huh?" we said again. I walked forward and picked some of them up. They all looked like designer clothes. Some of these are actually good-looking, I thought. I wonder if I can have some?

"This is obviously an illusion," Hinako said.

"What? Illusion?" I exclaimed. "Then, that means that these aren't real?"

"No," Jin answered. "Can't you recognize an illusion when you see one? What kind of Chuunin are you?"

"An okay one..."

Jin sighed.

Suddenly, Kyosuke-sensei's voice began to say, "That's correct, but this isn't an ordinary illusion." I looked around. Where was he? The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere, and all these darn clothes were in the way. "Now, find me."

"Hmph!" Hinako smirked. She put her hands together and said, "Undo!" But nothing happened. "What's going on!" Hinako exclaimed. "I should be able to get out of so low a level of an illusion!"

Kyosuke-sensei's voice laughed, and a girly laugh at that. "I told you; this isn't an ordinary illusion. You can't escape. This is what I call the Permanent Illusion Technique." A bunch of Kyosuke-sensei's appeared and surrounded us. There seemed to be an infinite number of them. "Now, FIND ME!" They all said at once and then leaped off.

"I see," Hinako said. "So this is to test our tracking skills. Only one of them can be the right one. Everyone split up and search! And don't hold back. Attack like you were going to kill. This guy's obviously very strong."

We nodded and went our seperate ways. I lept through the infinite line of clothes and found one. I threw a kunai at him, and with a poof! of smoke he disappeared. _Damn, a replication. _I began to move away, but then something grabbed my leg. I looked down, and there was a shirt wrapped around my ankle. What! A pair of pants jumped at me and twisted around my arm. So this is what the clothes were for!

I heard Jin scream. So he got caught, too. I whipped out a kunai with my free arm and cut free. I jumped away, but clothes everywhere were shooting towards me. I dodged them. Looks like staying on the floor would be a problem. I formed the seals: Hare, serpent, horse, tiger, ox, bird. "Sky Element, Flying Technique!" Instantly, silver, webbed, wings popped out of my back. I flapped them once, and jumped into the air. Now, I was free from the clothes and I had a bird's eye view. I looked around. There had to be hundreds of Kyosuke-sensei's, and they all looked the same. I observed them. They were all running around. Not one stood out. Then I noticed something moving on the ground. It was Hinako. She was running really fast, dodging the clothes, and she past some Kyosuke-sensei's quite a couple of times.

_What's she doing? Did she already find the real one? _I decided to follow her and give her help from the air, but suddenly, a shuriken just barely hit my ear. I quickly turned around and saw a group of Kyosuke-sensei's attacking me. I flew left, right, and dodged them. One of them nicked my left wing._ Crap! _I wasn't used to having wings, and their extra length was holding me back. I wouldn't be able to dodge for long. And there was nowhere to hide. I formed the seals and said, "Fire Element, Balsam Fire Spread!" I shot fire out of my mouth and down towards the Kyosuke-sensei's. They all poofed into smoke and the clothes caught on fire.

_Damn, they were all replications!_ I continued flying towards Hinako. She ran towards one of the Kyosuke-sensei's and put a kunai to his throat. "Found you," she said.

Everything seemed to stop. All the clothes stayed still along with all the Kyosuke-sensei's. Then, they all disappeared, along with the clothes. The white world wavered and suddenly we were back at the Academy. I landed on the ground and undid my jutsu. I looked over towards Hinako, who still had her kunai up to Kyosuke-sensei's throat. Her eyes were red. "Sharingan!" Kyosuke exclaimed. "I see. So that was how you knew so quickly. Although I don't like how you won, I pass you three." Hinako put her kunai away and her eyes returned to normal. He looked over at Jin and me. "Although you two didn't find me, you both fended off my replications well. And Sarafu, it was very clever to use that flying technique to get a better view and get out of the way of all my clothes."

"But, Kyosuke-sensei-"

"Please, Mr. Kyosuke."

"-Yeah, Mr. Kyo, why did you pick clothes?"

"That's the only thing I could think of at the moment."

Hinako stood in front of Jin, protectively, "Jin, stay away from this man! His head's not right!"

I laughed. "So, Mr. Kyo, what's it like being gay?"

He blushed. "I-I'm not g-gay! I'm just very beautiful! I like girls! See!" He proceeded to place his hands on Tsunade-sama's chest. She got very angry and punched him. He went flying. I put my hand over my eyes to protect me from the sun and looked up at the sky. "I think that's the last we'll see of him for today."

We all laughed, except for Tsunade-sama. Once she had cooled down, she handed me and Jin our fore-head protectors. "You two are now officaly Konoha ninja." Me and Jin high-fived and Hinako smiled.

"Oh, Sarafu, I gave you and Jin an apartment next to Hinako's. I'm sorry, but you'll have to share. There's nowhere else for him to go."

I was a little ill at ease, but there was nothing I could do about. At least he was only 8, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try anything sneaky.

"You're dissmissed for today. Meet your new leader at the Jonkun Bridge at 7 AM tomorrow. He'll instruct you from there."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," we all said at once and then left.

_...to be continued._


	11. Chapter 11

**First Mission, Don't Screw It Up!**

I woke up in my not very furnished room. I got dressed and walked into the living room, where Jin was sleeping on the couch. I chuckled. The night before, we had fought over the bed and in the end, I had to use the Tickle Torture. I woke him up, and made breakfast. We had miso soup and a bowl of rice. It was the best I could do with my cooking skills. Jin's constant complaining didn't help either. "Hurry up and make breakfast, woman! I'm hungry!" "What the heck are you doing over there! You're taking forever." "What in the world are you cooking? It smells horrible!" and then once he ate it he said, "This tastes like crap! You suck at cooking! And you call yourself a woman! This isn't miso! This is more like grewl!"

Its needless to say that he was in pain when we left, but the fact that he ate it all, made me smile on the inside. He was such an annoying little brat.

We went next door to fetch Hinako and left together. We arrived at the meeting place at 6:45 AM. We were a bit early, but Mr. Kyo didn't arrive till 7:30! "Where the hell were you! And what in the world are you wearing!" I screamed. I don't know what in the world he was wearing, but it was very frilly, and he had on leather pants. It was creepy looking, but that wasn't the worst.

"Is that...lipstick?" Hinako stuttered.

He smiled. "Sorry, sorry. I'm always fashionably late."

"Can you just tell us what to do next?" Jin said impatiently.

"Silence, Young One! I still haven't learned your names yet. Let's just take a moment to introduce ourselves! I'm Hagura Kyosuke, the most beautiful man in the world. I'm 29 years old. I like to dress up, and I am NOT gay. I don't like pickles and I have only one living relative, my sister. Who wants to go next."

We were all a bit reluctant, but then Jin stepped up and said, "My name is Sanpuro Jin and I'm 8 years old. My parents were Waterfall ninja, which is where I used to live until they died. I like money, getting my way, and five star cuisine. I hate not getting my way, loud people, and people who can't cook very well." He looked at me and a vein popped out of my head.

I stomped up. "My name is Kichino Sarafu, an awesome cook, and, might I add, older than a certain 8 year old. I'm 13 and I like sweets, winning, and Gaara." I blushed at my bluntness. "I hate annoying, little brats and strangely dressed people. I was a Chuunin from a distant village, but after my village was burned down, Konoha decided to take me in."

It was finally Hinako's turn. "My name is Uchiha Hinako. I'm 13 years old. I dislike annoying brats, whatever age they are. I like getting my way, and killing people who try to get in my way."

We were all silent and left with a very chilled feeling. "ANYWAY," Mr. Kyo broke the silence. "Today, we're gonna start our first mission. I already got it for you! Its a D-rank-"

"WHAT?" I exclaimed. "A lousy D-rank! I'm insulted!"

"I'm sorry, but for a new genin team, I have to start off easy. Besides, we have Jin, who's a fresh new ninja. I don't know how you all will act out on the field."

"Whatever, so what is our crappy mission?"

"We need to go and retrieve a lost cat, named Bell. The said cat is orange and very big. It has a bell attached to its collar. The client lives in the Tea Country, so we'll have to travel a little, but I think you can handle that."

I sighed. This was gonna be boring.

We arrived in the Tea Country on the same day, but that was only because Mr. Kyo was so impatient and chased us there, saying that if we didn't hurry up and move, he'd kiss us. When we arrived in Togarashi Town, we kept at least 5 meters away from Mr. Kyo. After a while, he turned around and asked, "Children, why are you walking so far away from me?"

"We don't want to look like we're with you."

He began to pretend crying and we walked on. We arrived at the client's house on the edge of town. I was surprised to find out that the client was an intimidatingly buff man. He opened the door to his little cottage and gave us some tea. His tunic showed his muscles, which were quite big. He told us that he was a lumberjack, and he lived alone. So one day, he got lonely and went out to find a wild cat, which he took home. I found it odd that he had a cat named "Bell". He told us that he lost it in the forest north of his house. We went to said forest and split up, to make searching easier. It was hours before finally I caught hint of what looked like an orange tail sticking out from a bush. It was an extremely large tail, and it had black stripes on it.

_This must be an extremely big cat, _I thought to myself.

I cautiously walked towards it. It noticed me and the tail went back in the bush, but out popped a large orange head. The head of a tiger. I screamed and ran away. The tiger chased after me. I heard a jingle and looked over my shoulder. The tiger had a collar and on that collar was a bell.

_His cat is a TIGER! _

I remembered that the client had told us that his cat was lost for a few days, so he must be hungry. I began to run faster, and cried out. "WAA! I DON'T WANT TO BE DINNER!"

Suddenly, Mr. Kyo appeared and knocked Bell across the ground. The tiger hit a tree, but got back up. Mr. Kyo walked up to it and put his finger up. Sparkles of light fell down on the tiger, and it fell asleep. Mr. Kyo picked up Bell with one arm.

"Thanks, Mr. Kyo," I said as I calmed down.

"Too good for a D-Rank, huh?"

I glared at him. "Shut up! You said cat. Last time I checked, cat's are not tigers."

He laughed and we walked back to the cottage. The lumberjack was surprised to see him asleep, but was delighted anyway. "Thank you!" he said with tears in his eyes.

"No problem, but next time, be more precise in your descriptions, please." I said and we went back to Konoha.

_...to be continued._


	12. Chapter 12

**Weak Chuunin, Train.**

After our first mission, Hinako threw a "Congratulations on entering Konoha and a Christmas" party, although there was no red in it. I met a bunch of new people. I met Uzumaki Naruto (offically) this time, Izuka Kiba, Abarame Shino Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Chouji. I really didn't like any of them (except for maybe Shino. He had cool shades.) but Hinata, Lee, TenTen, Shikamaru, and Neji were all there. I didn't really talk to Neji that much. He didn't seem to speak with anyone besides Hinako. The party didn't cheer me up much though. This was my first mission in my entire life. (The Village of the Sky didn't do missions, because we didn't want anyone to know where we lived.) I boasted so much about being a Chuunin, when some of these Genin were way better than me. My village was so inexperienced! We were nothing compared to these Konoha ninja. While I was sulking, I heard someone bring up the topic of the Chuunin Exam.

"Did you hear? The Chuunin Exam is coming up, after Christmas soon."

"Oh, really? Its been a long time since I've been in that."

"Even though all those people entered, only Shikamaru was made Chuunin."

"Yeah, Lucky bas-"

"I wonder if the sound ninja will attack again this year."

I began to pay more attention._ Chuunin Exam? Their's must be harder than mine, but I wonder if I'll make it. _Then I heard Lee ask, "Do you know if the Sand will be participating this year?"

I looked up, "Sand? You mean, Gaara will be coming here?"

"They were here last year, so they might come again. I'm sure they've been training hard."

"Please, Lee-san, tell me all about last year's Chuunin Exam. What was it like?"

"Well, the first test, was a written test, and you had to cheat without getting caught. That one was easy, and then there was a survival test in the Forest of Death. We had to bring two scrolls to a tower on the other side of the forest and we only had five days. I heard the Sand team, finished in only 97 minutes. Then, since we had too many people left, we had one-on-one preliminary matches."

"Who fought Gaara?"

He smiled. "I did! Although, I did lose."

That was surprising. Lee was the best taijutsu user I knew, and he lost against Gaara. I never knew Gaara was that strong. If Gaara was going to particapate this year, and we got paired up, what would happen? There was no way I could use the Twin Dragon Swords against him. I needed to train.

"Lee-san."

"Yes?"

"Train me."

"What?"

"Train me. Teach me everything you know. I must get stronger."

"um...alright, but I've got missions to do, and you'd have to ask Gai-sensei."

"That's fine. I only need a little a day."

Kiba stepped in. "Do you really think you can get stronger in such a short time, with only doing a little bit a day?"

I smirked. "I'm a fast learner."

"Whatever, but I doubt that you'll get any better."

"Oh, really? How about we make a bet?"

"Sure."

"If we happen to meet during the Chuunin Exam, I _will_ fight you. If I win, you have to respect me more and do whatever I say."

"And if I win, you have to admit that I'm better than you, and you have to do whatever I say. Deal?"

I shook his hand. "Deal."

I then walked off to go find Gai-sensei. I needed as much training as I could. It was true, that such little training wasn't enough, but I'd have to make do. Maybe Hinako would let me use the Dragon of Time? Of course, she would want something in return, but what? I found Gai-sensei talking with a bunch of other Jounin and I asked him for training. I told him about the bet and everything.

"Well," he said. "In the spirit of rivalry, I SHALL TRAIN YOU with Lee!"

"I didn't need such a spirited answer, but alright. I need to get as much training as possible, oh, and I was hoping you

could train someone else, with me."

"Who?"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **I need some Reviews people! I want to know if I'm getting better or worse! Please, at least say that you read it. No point in posting the new chapters if no one is going to read them! Thank you.

**Merry Christmas!**

The past few weeks, I have been traing with Lee and Gai-sensei. I've done my missions as well, and have made lots of money, just enough to buy all my freinds a present. I got Hinako a new obi for her kimono. I got Lee a razor, as a joke. I got TenTen some hair ornaments. I didn't really know what to get Neji, so I just gave him a calender. Besides the special lunch, I gave Jin a hat, which he wears constantly now. I got Gai-sensei _101 Ways To Beat Your Rival _, and I gave Mr. Kyo a pocket mirror. I was walking around, wondering how to get Gaara his present, when, just my luck, I saw them walking towards me on the road. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!" I screamed. I was very shocked.

"We came over for Christmas; what else?" Pajama Pants said with annoyance.

"But I thought ninja from other countries weren't allowed in?"

"Its Christmas, so the Hokage let us in," Temari answered.

"Really? Never would've thought. Oh well, that just saves me the trouble of giving you your presents. I left them home, so you'll have to follow me."

The streets were crowded because of the festival going on, but we eventually made it to my apartment. I showed them in. Temari said it was uncomfortably small, and Pajama Pants said it was boring. I wanted to punch them, but Gaara said nothing at all. It was beginning to unnerve me. I got their presents from the bedroom and gave Temari's first. It was a purple satin case to cover her fan from the sand. I gave Pajama Pants, his next. He had a little wooden replica of himself. "What's this?" he asked.

"A puppet of you."

"No, I meant, what's this that its wearing?"

"Oh, those are pajamas. It wouldn't be you without the pajamas."

He glared at me angrily and I laughed on the inside. MWAHAHAHA! That was a good one. I then proceeded to give Gaara his present.

"Sandals, as promised," I said. They were, indeed, sandals and they looked just like his old ones, but shinier. "Oh! I forgot your other present!" I ran back with a shirt I gave it to him.

"Property of Kichino Sarafu?" he inquired while staring at me with (if he had any eyebrows) one eyebrow lifted.

"Yup. Now you can wear it everywhere you go, and all the girls in the world will know to back off."

Temari and Pajama Pants laughed, and Gaara even smiled a little. It was just a joke, but I wonder if he caught the hidden meaning. "Thanks," he said, and folded up the shirt. "Yeah, thanks," Temari said. "No thanks," Kankurou grumbled.

"Gaara," Temari said. "Shouldn't you give her present now?"

Gaara pulled out a figurine about 20 centimeters high made entirely of sand. I took it from his outstretched hand, and realized that it was me. I smiled. It was very skillful. Every curve, every detail was correct. You could even see my diamond shaped pupils. "This...this is amazing Gaara," I breathed out. "Thank you."

He smiled and my stomach began to tingle. Ah, crap! I needed to keep my cool. Why did his smile make me feel that way? Could I be in...? No, I barely know the guy. Or maybe I was in love with him before I lost my memories... Either way, Gaara seemed more and more attractive to me as the day went on. I found myself blushing at times. This was the first time I'd ever had a crush on a guy.

We found Hinako and Jin, and went out to eat for dinner at this nice restraunt. After that, we decided to enjoy the festival. Me and Temari threw darts at water balloons. It was just a game, but it soon became a challenge. We spent all our money trying to beat the other one. I then stole some of Kankurou's money to go into a haunted house with Gaara. The dude never flinched the whole time. It wasn't fun. We met Lee and Gai-sensei who had an awkward meeting with Gaara. I don't know what happened between those two, but it didn't seem to be hatred. We got our face painted (except for Pajama Pants, because his face was already painted) and we saw this one ninja girl who used the Shadow Replication jutsu to create an entire choir and she sang carols. Once the day was done, Gaara, Temari, and Pajama Pants had to start heading back to their village. We said good-bye.

Once he left, my mind went to dark thoughts. If I did have to fight Gaara, there was no way I could fight him seriously. I had to get stronger, and hope to god that I was never forced to fight Gaara. I went home.

_...to be continued._


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **I'm sorry for not updating the story in..what? three weeks! My internet has been down and I've been working on my manga along with schoolwork, and my sudden inspiration for another story, which I will post up as soon as I'm done with Chapter 1. And, to make up for my absence, I'm giving you two chapters!

**Hinako Blushes! Beware the Byakugan!**

I have been trainging with Gai-sensei and Lee for a long time now. Gai-sensei made me wear these weights on my legs to help increase my speed, but it was taking me forever to get anywhere. I noticed I was in an empty alley and felt this cold chill.

"Saaaarrraaaaaffuuuuuuu..."

I turned around to find Mr. Kyo with a grave look on his face. "You're training with another teacher aren't you?"

"No, of-of course not! I-"

"Who is it?"

"No one."

He pulled out a kunai knife. "Who?"

"Gai-sensei."

Suddenly, his dark face dropped and turned into shock. "WHAT! YOU'RE CHEATING ON ME WITH HIM! THAT LAMO!"

"Don't say it that way, it sounds weird."

"I'll say it anyway I want!"

"Oh, would you look at the time, I gotta go eat breakfast!"

"Its 3 o'clock!"

I ran off. Now, all I had to do was find Hinako and get her to let me use the dragon of time. I ran around for about 20 minutes before I finally found her with Neji. "Sorry to interrupt your date," I said smiling suspicously at Hinako who blushed, "but I need to talk to Hinako privately for a couple of minutes." I led Hinako over to the side and began to speak with her in hushed tones.

"Hinako, I need your help. Remember that bet I made with Kiba at the party a couple of days ago?"

"You mean the party where I spiked the punch?"

"It was spiked! No wonder I had a headache. That was dangerous! Lee was there! We're just lucky he didn't drink any. Anyway, I need to use the Dragon of Time, to get some more training in."

"Isn't that cheating?"

"He never said I couldn't."

She sighed. "Well, I guess, but you'll need to do something in return."

"Like what?"

She glanced over at Neji and then back at me. "Help me get Neji!" She blushed.

"How? Its not like I know a love potion or something."

"Just do some spying. Find out what he likes, hates, everything! I would try to do it, but my information finding skills aren't that great."

"But this is Neji! Anyone's skills would be crap against him! He's got the Byakugan!"

"That's for you to know, and for me to find out after you tell me. And if worst comes to worst, don't tell him I ordered you to. If you find out some good info, I'll let you use the Dragon of Time."

"But that's like...an impossible mission! I don't think there is anything he likes. I can tell you a lot of things he hates right now."

"I could tell you that! I've been around him longer. Don't you think I would figure those things out by now? Find out the foods he likes and stuff. Just observe him for a while. Okay? I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine!"

"Fine, but you better let me use the Dragon of Time before the Chuunin Exam."

"I will."

I left and decided to go ask around before I did any actual spying on him. I asked Lee, TenTen, and even Hinata, but nothing helpful. This guy really didn't get out much. Why did Hinako have to like such a boring guy? I decided to go and look into the Hyuuga manor. Today was a busy day, so maybe there wouldn't be that many people there. When I arrived there, I hid in a nearby tree. I bit my thumb, and summoned, Gonko. He was a very small dragon, about the size of a salamander. He was perfect for spying. "Okay, Gonko," I said in low tones, "I need you to go and find out everything you can about Hyuuga Neji. This is the Hyuuga manor, just over there. I'm sorry I can't give you any more help, but that's pretty much all I know about too. I'm gonna go in there disguised as a Hyuuga. Ready?"

Gonko nodded and then slithered off toward Hyuuga Manor. I put my hands together and said, "Transform!" I transformed myself into Hinata. I leapt off the tree and walked through the main gate. How would Hinata act? I've only talked to her twice, but from what I gather, she's very shy, and not on too good terms with her family. All I've got to do is act quiet. I pulled my arms together and tried not to stride too confidently. I was in what appeared to be the courtyard when a little girl came up to me and said, "Hinata-niichan, what are you doing here? I thought you had a mission to do?"

Oh, crap! "Uh..umm...we finished it." I twiddled my fingers. That was a nasty habit I had when I was nervous.

Apparantly, Hinata must've had it too, because the little girl sighed, "Hinata-niichan, you must have been a burden again."

Jerk! How dare she be so mean to me! I'm older than her! I calmed myself down and stuttered, "Uh...un..."

Luckily, she walked off, and I went on ahead of her. Phew! I hope I don't run into anymore people. For the most part, the house seemed to be empty. I occasionally saw someone, but they barely acknowledged my existence. Hinata must not have been very respected in her house. I was in a hall and all the doors looked the same. How was I to tell which one was Neji's? Someone passed by me, and then turned around and said, "Hinata-sama, what are you doing here? This is the Branch Family Quarters."

Oh! I remebered! Hinata said something before about her being from the Head family and Neji being from the Branch family. "I-I was just looking for Neji-niisan. D-Do you know where he is?"

"I haven't seen him, but you might wanna try his room at the end of the hall."

CHA-CHING! "A-Arigatou."

I walked towards the end of the hall, and tried the door on the left. I knocked, first, of course. When no answer came, I opened the door and looked around. It was a simple room, nothing in particular. I looked around for some sign that any of these belonged to Neji. I found the calender I gave him up on the wall, and knew for sure, that this was his room. I saw a shelf with a couple of books on shuriken training, and other stuff you'd need in the Academy. They looked old and not very important. I saw something sticking out from under the bed, and I knelt down to look at it. I nearly laughed, when I saw it. Who ever would've thought that Neji liked BoA! He had one of their CD's. No wonder he tried to hide it under the bed. I put it back and then searched around some more. Everything else was in perfect order. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I walked out of the room to find myself face-to-face with Neji. I froze. How was I gonna explain this? He stared at me. "Umm..um...Neji-niisan, I was just looking for you."

"What do you want?"

I began to sweat. What did I want? I began to twidle my fingers. "Ummm...do you know where...umm...father is?"

"How should I know? But more importantly, why were you in my room?"

"I was just looking for you, so I thought I'd look in your room."

He squinted at me. He was on to me. "Didn't you knock? If no one answered then I was obviously not there."

"U-umm...I-I forgot?"

Now he proceeded to glare at me.

"T-Thank you, f-for y-your help, Neji-niisan...uh..I need t-to go now."

I then walked as fast as I could away from him. He must've kown by now. _I'm sorry Hinata, if I get you into trouble. _When, I finally found my way out of the manor, I was so stressed out, that I undid the jutsu and breathed heavily. "That was close."

Gonko slithered up into my hand. "I didn't find out much," he squeaked silently, "but I know that he likes radishes. That's all I could find out about this guy."

"Thanks, Gonko. That's plenty. You're dismissed."

He gave a salute and the poofed away. I then ran as far away from Hyuuga Manor as I could. I needed to find Hinako to give her the scoop. I found her at home, and told her everything.

"He likes BoA?"

"Yup, but from the looks of it, its a big secret. If you got him, there newest CD, he might be surprised at first, but then he would trust you with the secret. And then he would trust you with more secrets, and then he'll begin to treat you differently than everyone else, making you special."

Hinako smiled. "Yes! Good job, Sarafu. And you're sure he likes radishes?"

"Gonko's information is never false."

"Well, then, I've got our date planned out already. Good work."

"So,...can I use the Drgaon of Time, now?"

"After I see how the date goes. If your information is wrong, I won't just not let you use the dragon, I'll kill you."

I gulped. Crap! "Well, then...we better hope it goes well, then...uh..."

She smiled and then walked away. Maybe I should transform into Neji...nah, she would see with her Sharingan.

"Damn your all-seeing eyes!"

"Yessssssss..." Came a dark voice from the alley behind me.

"M-Mr. Kyo, what a pleasure to run into you here..." I backed up slowly.

"You were supposed to train with ME today. Where were you?"

"Umm, doing some training of my own."

"Wrong answer!"

He chased after me, and I ran. What a horrible day. When I finaly escaped from Mr. Kyo, it was about time for Hinako's date. To make sure it went well, I decided to spy in on them. They were sitting at a lovely candle-lit dinner in Hinako's apartment. I peeked through the window.

"When you said you had something for me," Neji said, "I didn't think it was dinner."

"Oh, its not just the dinner, Neji-kun," Hinako said slyly. I saw that they were having white radish stir fry. My stomach grumbled. I hadn't eaten dinner. I tried to control my cravings and continued to watch. Hinako sat down and ate. She tried to start conversation, but she couldn't get any good replies out of him. Finally, she took out a package and gave it to Neji.

This was it, the moment of truth. Neji opened it quietly. It was BoA's latest CD. He stared at it for a while and then looked up at Hinako. "What is this?"

"Its BoA's latest CD. I heard you liked them, so I thought I'd give you their CD."

"Who told you that?"

"Ummm...Sarafu did."

_That punk! She's ratting me out._

"So it was her then. Well, I'm sorry to inform you that I do not like BoA. I've never even heard of them. And, Sarafu, since you're here, might I ask how you came to this conclusion?"

_Crap! He saw me!_ I tried to sit there as quietly as I could. I could feel Hinako's hot glare in the back of my neck. I was dead.

"You saw the CD under my bed, when you were pretending to be Hinata, weren't you? That wasn't mine. My little sister, and my cousin were fighting over it, so as punishment, I hid it in my room."

"Oops!" I squeaked.

"SAAAARRRRAAAAFUUUUUU!" Hinako growled.

"Eep!" I ran away and Hinako chased after me with her scythe. "YOU MADE ME LOOK LIKE A TOTAL MORON! I"M GONNA CHOP YOU INTO PIECES!"

She chased after me all night, and part of the next morning. Why was everyone chasing me?

_...to be continued._


	15. Chapter 15

**Chuunin Exam Finally Arrives! The Dark Room.**

It's been about a month and the Chuunin Exam has finally arrived. I have been training non-stop with Gai-sensei the last few weeks. I needed as much training as possible. This year, the Chuunin Exam would be in the Hidden Village of the Cloud in the Lightening Country. Our team traveled with Gai-sensei's team. Hinako was especially pleased by this. Mr. Kyo was disgusted the entire way by Gai's looks. He couldn't even stand to look at him.

"Oh, Gai, you are so unfashionable that it disgusts me!" Mr. Kyo cried as we walked. "I want to puke everytime I look out you."

"Is that any way to talk to your comrade," Gai replied.

"Do not make fun of Gai-sensei!" Lee snapped.

Me, Jin, and Hinako all sighed. It was gonna be like this the whole way. Gai made me wear the training weights all over my body the entire trip.

We arrived in about a week. The Hidden Village of Cloud was in a valley surrounded by mountains. According to the map that Neji had, there was a range of volcanoes not too far off. You could see the smoke clouds in the sky. I always thought that the Cloud Village, would be a more cooler place. When we arrived there, we went to the Raikage's Office to turn in our entry forms. While there, I saw some other Genin teams. There were tons of Cloud Genins. I saw Kiba's group turning in their entry forms and went to greet them.

"Hi, Hinata, Hey, Shino," I said in a chippy mood. "Oh, and I hope you didn't forget our little bet, Kiba."

"Not at all," he smirked. "In fact, I was looking forward to it."

"I see. When we meet on the feild, I'm not going to hold back."

"Neither shall I."

I waved and then returned to my group. They all smiled at me weirdly. "What?"

"Gaara's team is here," Jin said while pointing in their direction.

I flicked around, and, indeed, there was Gaara's team. My heart swelled with joy. Gaara! I was about to go over to them, but they came towards us. "I see you are taking the Chuunin Exam," he said to me. "But I thought you were already a Chuunin."

"Well, I was a Chuunin in my village, but its burned down to the ground now. Besides, our Chuunin Exams are different from ya'll's. We didn't even fight with other villages."

"I see," he turned towards Rock Lee. "I hope to fight you again this year."

"As do I," Rock Lee replied with a smile. I was glad they were going to be friends.

"Although we may be friends now," Temari said. "We will be enemies on the battle field."

I froze in realization. I was still not mentally prepared to fight Gaara, and I knew that I was gonna have to fight him. I could feel it. Hinako glanced at me. She must've known what was going through my mind.

"We'll be ready for you," she said. "Good-bye." And then led us away.

"You're gonna have to get over him," she said to me in hushed tones. "I can see that he's not going to hold back against you. You need to forget all that you feel about him."

I nodded, but it was easier said than done.

The next day, we went to the specified area for the first exam, Mt. Fuugi, which was a volcano. "Are you sure its safe here?" Jin asked weakly. "What if the volcano erupts?"

I smiled sweetly. "Then run."

I suddenly felt very ill in the stomach. I felt like someone was watching me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a man with long, black, greasy hair. He was licking a knife, that wasn't too clean either. There was this cold glint in his eyes. The kind of glint that a predator gives his prey. To try and calm myself down, I said to him, "You know, that can't be hygenic."

"Really?" he answered with a scratchy voice. "Tastes pretty good to me. I love the taste of blood. Would you like to give me some?"

My hair stood up. Okay, this guy is a psycho. "Sorry, but I kind of need it." I then scooted as far away from him as I could. The psycho guy laughed and I could see his red sharp teeth. This guy wasn't human. And from the looks of his fore-head protector, he was a Sound Ninja. His other teammates didn't look any better. There was a hucky one with a bulging mirth and the chinese symbol for sound on his forehead. And there was a man with long black hair and golden serpentile eyes. . .

A woman stepped in front of the crowd on a higher rock. "Listen up, Punks! I'm the first Examiner of this pathetic Chuunin Exam. Tremble before my awesome name, Fugisaki Shigame. In this tormenting, insane, first exam, you are to go through this cave"-she pointed towards the cave behind her-"one team at a time, and retrieve one of these." She held a shiny orb, and from the looks of it, it was a ruby. "And here's the sick twist. There are only two, and if you do not have one, you will be flunked. Inside the caves are traps and very few candles. Those few candles are your only light, so be careful not to blow them out. Oh, and it would also be possible for you to pass with two items."

A murmur spread across the Genins. That means that at least one person had to fail. I looked at Hinako and Jin, and they looked at me. Who was going to fail?

"First Team up, Hanasaki Jon, Fuuma Saki, and Junchiri Konkensun. Enter the cave now." A team from the Cloud village stepped up and walked into the cave, glaring each other, all the while. It was gonna take a long time for every team to go in, so we sat on the ground and tried to make ourselves comfortable. It was hard to talk to each other when we knew that someone was going to make you fail.

Suddenly, a scream came from inside the cave. Everyone started. Shigame laughed evilly. "Looks like my first victim has already been caught! Oh, and there's a 76 chance of dying." Now, everyone was really shaken up. One group even quit. We were getting ready to sit there forever when our team was called up. _Wow, so soon._ We were only fifth.

We walked inside. It was pitch dark from the looks of it. We went inisde and turned a corner, being cautious of our steps. As we turned the corner, we could see a faint flicker of light. That must've been one of the "few candles". As we got closer, we could here this howling sound. "Wassat?" Jin started.

"It's only the wind blowing through the cave," Hinako said.

I looked at her. Hinako seemed to be calm. Too calm. I glared at her suspicously. Jin looked like he was going to seperate his soul from his body at the slightest sound. I never knew that eyes could get that big. As we walked I felt one of the tiles I step on sink slightly. Uh-oh. A trap.

Suddenly, the floor below me opened up and I fell.

"Sarafu!"

I fell for a while before I felt myself land in a pool of water. It wasn't that deep. It only went up to my chest. I calmed my frantic heart. It was pitch dark. The opening above must've closed. I decided to swim to a wall, and see if I could find a way out, when I felt something brush past my leg. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I wasn't the only thing in here. My heart was pounding in my head, louder only than my breathing. There was no calming it down now. I frantically swam to the right to try and escape. Something wrapped itself around my leg and continued to wrap all the way up to my waist. It was squeezing me tightly. I reached the wall and tried to feel around for an exit, but there wasn't one. Whatever was around me, was now squeezing me so hard it was getting difficult to breath. I grabbed a kunai and sliced it. It unwrapped itself and slithered away. Huh. Slithered.

Then, out popped a giant snake. It opened its mouth and shot towards me. I heard it hissing my way and I moved. It missed me, but it must've been close, cause I could feel it brisk by. I closed my eyes. I didn't really need them. I began to focus on my other senses. I needed to get rid of this snake. I held my kunai tightly when I heard a splash of water and knew it was after me again. I swung my kunai in the air, hoping that that was where the snake was. I was right and sliced off something. From the sounds, I guessed that it was its head. There was a splash. I could feel the ripple. After a while, there was no noise, and I couldn't feel any waves in the water. So this trap tested your other senses. I used the wall climbing technique to reach the top. I pushed on the ceiling and it lifted. Wow, that was easy enough. When I got myslef up on the floor, from what little light there was, I could tell that I was alone now. Where did everyone go?

They must've left me. I grumbled and began to walk again, this time, making sure where I stepped. As I walked down I heard voices. I took off my sandals (they made squishy noises because of the water) and tip-toed down the tunnel. I followed the sound of the voice which led me to a little chamber. I hid behind the corner and looked to see who was talking. I saw Hinako, and she didn't look too happy. I heard a familiar scratchy voice say, "Itachi-sama is looking forward to your entering the Akatsuki Clan." I recognized this voice. It was the psycho guy. I couldn't see him from my position, but Hinako was all I needed to see.

"It's still not for certain that I will," she said.

"True. It all depends on your behavior here. That's what I'm here for. And something else."

"What?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

"What should my behavior be to get in?"

"Heheheheheh. Itachi-sama says that you must have the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Hinako gasped and her eyes grew wider. I didn't know what this "Mangekyou Sharingan" was, but it must be pretty bad.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do."

"It wasn't a trap that caused that scream earlier, was it? It was you."

He cackled evilly. "You're sharp, Hinako-sama. Yes, it was me. I was very hungry."

Hinako curled up her lip in disgust.

I gasped. This guy was a cannibal. I regretted gasping, because they heard me. I quickly did the invisible jutsu and pressed myself against the wall. I held my breath. If I made even the slightest sound, it could cost me my life. Psycho Cannibal looked around, but couldn't see me. There was a dripping sound. CRAP! I was still wet.

"What was that noise?" Hinako asked as she looked my way.

My heart was beating wildly. Faster than when I was attacked by that snake.

"There's a pool of water in this cave, and sometimes, water drops from the ceiling. The sounds would echo through the cave."

I calmed down a little. I never thought I would be gratefull to a cannibal. They walked away. When I was sure, they were gone, I undid the jutsu and breathed. I thought I was gonna die. But how did Hinako know that psycho? And what was the Akatsuki Clan? Who was Itachi? This whole thing was overly suspicous. I knew that Hinako was a bit, well...darker than most people, but could she be a psycho killer too?

_...to be continued._


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Hope you guys enjoy this one! I'm coming out with another story, (yayness) and I've got school (booness) so I might not be updating as much. Well, enjoy.

**Answer To The First Exam. Help, Jin!**

After my unexpected spying on Hinako and Psycho guy, I had been walking around for a few minutes when I landed into another trap. Fire shot from the walls. I rolled along the ground to avoid them, but then sharpened bamboo sticks shot out from the ground. I had to roll across the ground while dodging them. When I was finally out of range of fire, I got back up and accidentally pulled a string. Arrows shot out from the walls and I ran frantically trying to dodge them. After that, I triggered yet another hole in the floor. But this time, I jumped away to safety. I had been running into nothing, but traps the entire way. I needed to find one of those rubies. While I was thinking my foot stepped into a loop of rope on the floor. It tightened around my ankle and lifted me up into the air. I screamed out of shock. During this movement, my pouch, conataining all my kunais and shurikens opened up and they all fell onto the floor. Oh no. If I had those, I could've easily cut myself loose. But they were to far away from my reach. Now what was I going to do? I strained and tried to lift myself up. When I was able to grab my legs, I tried to untie them, ut this knot was new to me. I couldn't figure it out. After a while, my muscles got tired. So I let myself just hang there. I was tired from strainging my muscles too much.

I had been sitting there for soime good minutes when I heard footsteps. Someone was coming my way, but who? Maybe it was the psycho killer! Maybe he heard my scream and knew that I was caught ina trap and helpless! I began to squirm. I tried to wiggle my way out. The closer the steps got the more I tried to wiggle free.

"I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die."

The footsteps reached me, but to my surprise, it was't the psycho killer guy. It was Jin! I was releived. "I see you got yourself into another trap," he said. "What kind of Chuunin are you?"

I laughed bitterly.

He sighed. "Looks like I'll have to help you. He took one of my kunais and cut me down. "You know, you have the rottenest luck, having your weapons pouch fal open like that."

"I know." I picked them up and put them back in my pouch. I saw something shiny coming from Jin. I realized that it was a ruby. "Jin! You got a ruby!"

He frowned. "I don't just have a ruby. I have two."

I frowned too. What was he going to do? Would he give me one, or leave me with nothing? Then, he thrust one of them forward and said, "Here."

"Huh?"

"You can have it. I don't need it."

I smiled and took it. "Thank you, Jin. You're not such a bad guy after all."

He blushed. It must've been very hard for him to do something so selfless. I rubbed his head affectionately. "Hey, I'll make you a special lunch for this, when we get back home."

His face lightened. "Really? Augh, ugh, I mean, man, you're cooking stinks."

I laughed and then we walked on.

After a while, we bumped into Hinako. When she saw our rubies she frowned too. I was happy that Jin gave me one, but Hinako now didn't have one. It was silent. Then, I stepped forward. To my dismay, Hinako's hand went to her scythe. That hurt that she thought I was gonna attack her. I rememebred the scene I stumbled upon with her and the psycho killer. I grew up the courage and handed her my ruby.

"Sarafu?"

"You can have it. I'm not that great of a Chuunin anyway. I probably set off every trap there was."

"But-uh,..are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Ummm...thanks."

We walked on, and eventually saw a light. We were coming to the end of the cave. We walked outside and were blinded by the light. We had been in the dark cave for so long that daylight hurt our eyes. When we adjusted to the new scene, a man was standing there, waiting for us. From his appearance, he seemed to be a Cloud Jounin. "Where are the items?" he asked.

Hinako and Jin handed them over. He looked at me. "So you do not have one?"

I nodded solemnly. DAMMIT! WHY THE HELL DID I GIVE HINAKO THE RUBY! I WANTED TO BE A CHUUNIN!

"Do not panic. You pass as well."

I looked up at him. "Huh? But I didn't have a ruby."

"The rubies were not the answer. If someone from your team had arrived with a ruby, but without a teammate, he woud have been failed."

"But why?"

"Because, the whole lesson of the first exam is to put your teammates before yourself. Everyone's lives are more important. Say, for example, that during a mission, one of your teammates are badly wounded, but you are being chased by the enemy. Time is crucial, so, do you leave your teammate their to die? Or do you stop to help them?"

We were silent.

"You stop to help them. Why? Not for theirs lives, but if an enemy gets hold of your teammate, through certain methods, they can extract information from them. You must not ever let that happen. If the enemy were to find about secret information, or techniques, it could seriously injure your village."

We sat there, thinking.

"Congratulations on passing the First Exam. And breaking a new record."

"Huh? New record?"

He looked at me. "For setting of the most traps, and escaping." Jin and Hinako laughed.

"Now, you are to wait here for the other teams to finish. Oh, and there is absolutely NO fighting during this period. When the second Exam starts you can have all the fun you like."

Fun? We went over to the wall, where there was shade and sat down. It was unbaringly hott. From the looks of it, we had climbed about a quarter of the way up the mountain in the cave. We looked around. Besides us and the Jounin, there was no one else. So we were the first to pass. After a couple of hours, we saw Gai's team exit the cave.

"Congratulations, guys!" Hinako said as they came to sit by us.

"I see that we are the only ones to pass so far. Was it really that hard?" Neji stated.

After a while, more people exited the cave. Of course, Gaara's team passed, but by the time they were out, about 20 teams had passed from the original 36. Unfortunatly, the Sound ninja passed too. Psycho Killer smiled at me as he walked past. I could tell that everytime he looked at me, he imagined me on a dinner plate.

Shigame arrived and yelled at everyone to shut up. "The First Exam has ended. All of you have passed, now on to the Second Exam!"

_...to be continued._

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Sarafu gives Hinako her ruby:

Sarafu: "You can have it. I'm not that great of a Chuunin anyway. I probably set off every trap there was."

Hinako: "But-uh,..are you sure?"

Sarafu: "Now that you mention it . . ."

Hinako: "Wait! No! It's mine!"

Sarafu: "Hey give that back!"

Jin: sits down on ground and drinks random slurpee "Oh, I love Cat-fights!"


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I've got two more chapters for you. (Man I'm popping them out like crazy.) Enjoy!**

**Second Exam!**

The crowd was hushed as Shigame-sensei introduced the Second Examiner. He stepped up onto the upraised rock. "Good day, everyone," the Cloud Jounin from before said, "My name is Yusuke Fugisaki. I'll be your Examiner this evening for the Second Exam. Allow me to begin with the explaination. In the Second Exam, you will take the rubies that you aquired in the first Exam and go to the top of this volcano. The very top. Once you are there, you will see the opened pit of lava. The terms are that you cast at least two rubies inot the pit of lava."

A murmur spread throughout the Genins.

"Silence! We will have Jounins up there to make sure that you throw two rubies inot the volcano. Once that has happened, they will lead you to the next place where the explaination for the third exam will be held. If you fail to meet these terms or you quit, you will be escorted else where. All teams that don't make it to the top will be assumed dead and will be failed. You have a time limit of 3 days."

Again, a sensation of protests spread across the crowd of young ninjas.

"If you don't like my terms then quit. No one is forcing you to take the Exam. Now, for all those who do want to take the Exam, you will see, to your right, 4 openings in this rock wall. You will be seperated into quarters thus far. When we give the signal, you will be released into the open. After that, you are no longer our responsibility. Any deaths that occur are not to blame the Examiners. You put your life on the line during this exam. Anyone who wants to quit, raise your hand and you will be led out."

No one raised their hand. After a period of time, Yusuke-sensei cleared his throat and spoke aloud, "Good. Now if you'll follow me and Shigame-san."

They split us up into fourths with 4 teams to each opening. Unfortunatly, the Sound ninjas were with us. I had a bad feeling that they were following us. But what were they after?

Of course! They want Hinako! Well, whatever that Akatsuki clan, or whatever is, I won't let them take her!

I was determined now, and glared at the cannibal guy. He seemed surprised by my sudden anger. I then turned my attention to the Exam. Only three days to climb up the volcano? Not to mention the fact that it'll get hotter as we go up. This was definitely gonna be survival of the fittest. Suddenly, Shigame-sensei and Yusuke-sensei yelled out, "Ready, Set...GO!"

And everyone ran threw the openings, after that, we all went our seperate ways. Our team was on the far left so we went as left as we could to escape the enemy. We traveled non-stop until about lunch time.At that point, we were starving. Our stomachs grumbeled.

"Ooooooh, maaaaan," Jin groaned."Why didn't we bring something to eat? Nothing grows on a volcanooooo."

He was right. The volcano was flat and barren. Very bad. There was nothing to hide in, and we would be clear and weak if any strong opponents decided to come around. "Why did they make this so haaaard," I whined. "People could seriously get killed in this Exam."

I bet the cannibal guy wouldn't have to worry.

"This is a survival test," Hinako said, unaffected by the hunger. "A person could go month without food. And besides, I secured water from a pond in the cave."

"But why did they make it on a volcano?" Jin asked.

"This whole Exam is like a mission."

"Huh?"

"Ok, say that we are Chuunin, and our mission is retreive these rubies from the enemy. The first Exam, was like going through enemy territory. You don't really no it, so that was displayed by the many tunnels and the darkness of the cave. Also, the enemey would have traps for you, so there were traps in the cave. Once you have retreived the rubies, your mission is to return them to your HQ. But, the enemey will most likely be chasing after you. So, that is why all the teams are going at once. The other teams represent the enemy. He never said that you couldn't have more than 2 rubies. Other teams will probabaly try to steal them from other teams, so we must be on our gaurd. So, Jin you take a ruby, and I'll take one."

"What about me?"

"Sorry, Sarafu, but you're an idiot. You'd probabaly drop them somewhere."

"But," Jin asked. "Why is he making us through them in the lava? That's such a waste, don't you think?"

"On the contrary," Hinako explained. "it tests our ability to complete the mission. These rubies look very valuable, and

will probably fetch a good price at the pawn shop.Most people would be tempted to take them for themselves, and would thus, fail the mission. Which do you hold more valuable, money or becoming a Chuunin?"

"Chuunin." "Money." Me and Jin spoke at the same time. I looked at him. He was gonna throw our ruby into the fire, wasn't he?

"But," Jin said lazily, "it would probably be more profitable to become a Chuunin. Let's go melt these valuable orbs of delight."

We smiled and nodded. I then saw something that caught my eye. "Hey, smoke!"

_...to be continued._


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my dog, Thor, for being the idiot he is! **

**Sarafu vs. Kiba**

We ran as cautiously as we could towards the stream of smoke. There wasn't much to hide behind, but a couple of rocks. It would be hard to get too close without getting noticed. As we edged near, hiding behind an uplifted boulder, we saw who was making the fire. It was Hinata's team! They were roasting fish over a fire.

Where the hell did they get fish? I asked myself. Though it is really stupid of them to make a fire with nothing to hide with.

We observed them quietly, waiting for an opening. Then, I saw a bug on Hinako's shoulder, so I swiped it away.

"What?" she whispered.

"There was a bug on your shoulder," I said.

Her face went pale. I found this odd, because Hinako wasn't particularily afraid of bugs. "We've been spotted," she said with horror. And, indeed, when we turned around, we found Hinata, Shino, and Kiba standing behind us.

"So," Kiba said haughtily. "It's only you guys."

Damn him! I screamed in my mind. That's my line! "But," I asked myself more than anyone else, "how did you know we were here?"

"Shino controls bugs," Hinako answered. "He must've sent some bugs out to scout for him. A clever move."

Of course! No bugs would live on a barren volcano like this one! There was nothing for them to feed on!

I got up and dusted myself off. "Looks like this would be the perfect time to settle our little bet, ne, Kiba?"

He smirked. "Yes it is, but I'll warn you ahead of time. I'm not gonna go easy on you because you're a girl!"

"Then I'm not gonna go easy on you because you are weak!"

He growled. "Akamarau!"

Out jumped a little white and brown dog from his jacket. It had been nestled comfortably in there this whole time. It gave an acknowledging bark.

"If your gonna use your dog, then let me use mine!"

I grabbed my stuffed turtle from my pack. It was time. I punched the ground, and there was a great renovating shock. The ground in between me and Kiba lifted into the air, and pulled itself together to form a shape. A demonic shape.

"SPIRIT OF THE ROCK DEMON!"

My demon had four legs and three tails with jagged rocks at the end. It opened three of its four eyes. Horns grew out of its head. It was done, and it made a noise of rocks scratching against each other.

"W-What is that monster!" Kiba stuttered in awe. "It's huge!"

"That's my rock demon," I smirked. "The Kichino Clan has but one fighting style in which they pass down through the generations. We take the 'spirits', or chakra, of our enemeies when they are unconcious. I store them in this turtle, which isn't stuffed with cotton, but the chakra of my previous enemies. Of course, taking out their chakra kills them.

"But once I have the chakra in some sort of container, I can call it at anytime. This particular chakra was of a man I met in the Rock Village. Since he used the element of rock, I must fuse his chakra with the same element, in this case, the ground. But if there isn't any of that element, it will not work.

"Enough of the history lesson, let's fight!"

I thrust my hand forward and the Rock Demon charged at him. Kiba and Akamaru both dodged, but now they were seperated. I pointed to Akamaru and the Rock Demon lunged after him, as for me, I whipped out a kunai and slashed at Kiba with my right hand. He either dodged, or blocked with his kunai knife. Then, our kunai got caught in a deadlock, and Kiba thrust a smoke bomb with his free hand. Crap! I ran out of the smoke, but Kiba was expecting me.

"Beast Mimicry jutsu!" He grew claws and his teeth got pokey. He slashed at me with his claws and I tried to run away, but his claws sliced my cheek open. Blood dripped out. He got me! I need to be warey of those claws.

Then, Kiba took out a food pill from his pocket and ate it. From the looks of it, it was a soldier pill. Those allowed a soldier to fight for three nights straight. Now it was gonna get tough. "Akamaru!" He called out and he threw a soldier pill at him. He ate it and suddenly, grew red, and his muscles grew bigger. He growled and jumped past my Rock Demon.

"Gijyuu Ninpou, Jyuujin Bushin! (Beast Mimicry Technique, Half-beast clone)"

Akamaru was on his back, but he had transformed into Kibe, so now there were two of them! They ran at me, but this time, they were much faster! I ran away, but one of the Kiba's hooked me, and sent me flying backwards. My Rock Demon went after them, but they moved out of the way. "Time to show you my best jutsu!"

What!

"GATSUUGA!" (Double-Piercing Fang)

Both Kiba's jumped into the air and began to spin around at an incredible speed. Now they were just a blur. They shot at me, but I called for my rock Demon. It leapt in the way, just in time! The spinning Kiba's collided with my Rock Demon. There was a minute of lag, but the Kiba's destroyed my Rock Demon. Jagged chunks of rock went flying everywhere! I even saw Hinata get cut with a small piece. Luckily, I had moved out of the way, and was unharmed. But now, I had no Rock Demon, and I was too weak to summon another one. This guy was tougher than he looked.

"Fine!" I called out. I formed the seals and yelled, "Ninpou, Web of Hair jutsu!" My hair grew long and it spread out. Soon, I had a cage of hair surrounding the battle field. One Kiba spun into one of my hairs, and suddenly, the hairs shot out at him. In only a couple of seconds, he was tangled in hair. The other Kiba got caught in my hair also. Now, I had them. I cut my hair back to its original length and made a knot with the ends. Then, I walked over to the trapped Kiba on the right. I pulled my arm back, and then thrust forward, punching him in the face. As expected, Kiba poofed back inot Akamaru. Then I walked over to the real Kiba. I put a kunai to his neck.

"You lose."

He didn't answer for a while, then he said, "Fine, you win."

I smiled and cut Kiba and Akamaru free. When we had straightened ourselves out, Kiba went over to make sure Hinata was all right, He had noticed the cut on her face. "I'm fine," Hinata answered crossly. "Its just a scratch. I'm not weak!"

Kiba looked stunned, but then apologized. After we had said our good-bye's, we left.

"Ah man!" I remembered. "We forgot to steal their lunch!"

Jin smiled slyly. "That's where you are wrong." He held to sticks of fried fish. Hinako and I grabbed them hungrily and ate them. Night was approaching and for some reason I felt weak. My legs felt wobbly and I could barely keep my eyes open. Why am I so tired? That fight against Kiba shouldn't have worn me out this much! I lifted my head drearily to the sky and gave a gasp just before I fainted. Tonight was a New Moon.

_...to be continued._


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: These are small chapters but i've got a lot for you, so enjoy!**

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**Meeting Under the Invisible Moon. Past revealed.**

I woke up in the middle of the night, or very early morning because it was still dark outside. I couldn't see very well because there was no moon. I looked up at the sky of ink. My head felt woosy and I had a really bad migrane. I looked around, but couldn't see, and the world seemed to spin around in my woosy head. I fell back to the ground with a grunt.

_Gah! My head hurts so bad. Damn you, Moon Dragon! If you didn't long for the moon so much, this wouldn't hurt that bad. I always get like this when there is a New Moon. (sigh) I'm a sitting duck like this. I can barely stand up, there's no way I can fight anyone right now. Hopefully, we won't be attacked till morning. It would be best if I just went to sl-_

My heart stopped. I heard the sound of walking feet. Someone was coming this way. But who? And from where? My head was spinning so much that it sounded like it was coming from everywhere. With some strain, I managed to seat myself upright. Whoever it was, they had reached me and I was now at their mercy. Suddenly, a fire was struck. There I saw what I thought was one of the Sound nin, but his face was different. He had the forehead protector and clothes, but his face had a different structure, but another similarity was the eyes. The same serpentile, golden eyes. The same eyes as mine. I stared into them with fear. Sound ninja or not, he could still kill me. He had a sardonic smile on his face.

"Perfect timing, no?" he said through a scratchy voice. It swam through my head. I was too sick to answer.

_What does he mean? Does he know about me and the New Moon?_

"I've come to pick you up. There's no point in continuing this foolish exam any longer."

"W-Wha?" I managed to get out.

"Do you know who I am?"

I gave him a look that said, Am I supposed to know?

"My name is Orochimaru. Its a pleasure to finally meet you Sarafu."

I started. How did he know my name? I got up in my panic and reached for a kunai. This guy was dangerous. I needed to fend him off. I charged at him weakly, and he easily threw my kunai out of my hand, but in the process, it sliced open my chest. The blood spattered out onto his face and body, while I fell back down to the ground.

"I-Impossible! ...The D-dragon's blood-d is...poisonous. No one, b-but a Kichino...can t-touch it!"

He laughed, but not too loud. "Have you seen your mother lately?"

What is going on? Why is he asking about Mom? And why didn't my blood burn him?

"You're a dense one, aren't you? Who have you not known you're whole life? Whom, from your family, has been missing this whole time?"

It dawned on me. What! There's no way! Could he- It's- Is he really my father? We have the same eyes. The same eyes that don't exist anywhere in the Kichino bloodline. But- How does he know about me? A thought sturck me.

"D-do you know where Mother is? Do you know if she's safe?"

He kneeled down and our faces were only centimeters apart. "My young child, I don't care about your mother. She was merely a tool for me so that I might gain the power of the Dragon of the Moon. That would be you. As to where she is, I don't know."

"Wait! I am the power that you want?"

"Yes, my dear, and if you mind, I don't like sitting around here, so if you'll come with me before morning rises-"

I pulled away from him. "Never! I will not be a tool! I will not be your weapon!"

He chuckled. "I'm afraid you have no choice. Your flesh, your blood,...it all belongs to me. I created you. You must obey me."

"I don't care if you created the world! I'm not going with you! I'm not gonna be a tool again!"

"Again? I see. So the Sky people used you wisely, did they?"

"Shut up!" I tried to move away, but my aching head pulled me down. I must get away from this man. He may be my father, but I won't give in! I began to crawl on my hands and knees.

He laughed at me. "You are so pathetic! I think I just might help you out."

I turned and gave him a quizical look. He shot me a look of such greed, sin, murder all that was evil, towards me. It was so intense, I shook uncontrollably with fear. This man was psychotic. No, he was a genius. An evil genius that was gonna torture me. I desperatly clawed at the ground to escape as tears poured down my face. My heart was beating so fast that I though it wasn't there anymore, it was but a flutter. I was sweating. My body was doing all the necessary precautions for danger. My eyes were so wide I thought they should pop out of my head. I was giving little squeals of fright.

"Look at you," he said with scorn now, "you're so frightened you don't seem to deserve life. But I'll give you another chance. Prove to me, you're full potential during this exam and I'll take you with me. For now, it's farewell."

With that, the flame blew out and all was darkness. My heart didn't stop its beating though. In my fright, I gave away to inner darkness.

When I woke up the next morning, I began to hate myself for my cowardice. Why was I so weak? I should've fought better against him, even in my sickness. Hinako came up to me and put her hand up against my forehead, and then agaisnt hers.

"You're fever has gone down, and now its just a slight sickness. You'll be fine from now on. I guess this is what happens to you when there is no moon. Hmm. But you're face is still a bit pale. Oh my! Now its red!"

It was red because of the heat of anger rushing through my head. I was still afraid, even though I was in safety. I

I swore to myself that morning, that I should never again backdown in a fight, no matter who the opponent was.

_...to be continued._

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**A/N: I've decided to make this story into a trilogy. This is the first book. The next one is called Possessed. I've finished the first book, and shall upload the chapters momentarily. **


	20. Chapter 20

**End of Second Exam. Beginning of the Third.**

We walked up the volcano, and strangely saw no one. It was deadly silent and we didn't even see the Sound ninja again. "Where is everybody?" I asked during break.

"You're right," Hinako said. "We should have run into someone by now. Did everyone else get killed?"

I shivered at the thought. "There can't be too many teams left, but we'll just have to continue on. It's survival of the fittest."

"For once," Jin said, "I agree with you."

Hinako nodded. We decided to head out. I knew what was going on. The Sound ninja must have been reducing the competition. Orochimaru's face flashed in my mind. I didn't understand why, but that man just scared me. My entire being seemed to know his power. I took a deep breath and looked ahead. The next Exam was going to be a tough one.

We arrived at the top of the mountain that evening. "We would've made it here sooner if Sarafu hadn't fainted" was Hinako's remark.

"Well, EXXCCUUUUUSE ME!"

We threw the rubies into the lava without a second thought. The Cloud Jounin nodded to us and showed us to yet another cave. "Just walk down this tunnel and you'll be there. So, we did just that. As we walked by, we saw what appeared to be a dead body on the floor. How many people were going to die from this exam?

The walk wasn't very long. By nightfall, we had reached the end of the dark tunnel. It opened out into a great valley, that was strangely full of the greenest grass I'd ever seen. The sky was blue and bright. No wind seemed to roll into the little valley. It was a haven compared to the barren volcano. We saw many Jounins and other teams. Gai's team was there, of course, and so was Gaara's. Expectedly, the Sound nins were sitting there, staring at us. A shiver flew down my spine as I saw the bloody mouth of the Cannibal. Other than that, there was no one else. Shigame-sensei walked up to us and told us that we were going to wait until time was up. Then start the next Exam.

"Oh, so the Exam is to be here?" I asked.

"Yes, it is. There is a port-a-potty over there if you need to use it. I'm sorry, but for now, you'll have to sleep outside.

It would just take too long to transport you back, and then transport you here again. Many spectators will be watching tomorrow, so be prepared."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The Third Exam is to show the power of your village. Many feudal lords and nobles will be watching this next exam as a precedence on what village to use in the future. Also, many will be making bets, so you better not lose. I'm sure they'll try to cheat, but that's nothing for you, eh? Oh, and also, the Hokage and the Raikage will be watching as well."

"Woah! Really? So Tsunade-sama is coming here? That's very...unlazy of her."

Shigame smiled and walked away. As she did this, Hinako said, "It's not that she's being a busy body, its probably because she's trying to skip out on the paperwork."

I chuckled and we picked a nice spot, under a tree, to sleep. We weren't worried about being attacked during the middle of the night.

When we woke up next morning, it was just before the spectators were going to arrive.

"Good Morning everyone!" Shigame called out. "The explanation for the Third Exam will be given out by the Raikage."

Out stepped a middle-aged man in the traditional kage suit I had seen Tsunade-sama in before, but this time it was yellow colored. "Thank you, Shigame, and congratulations, Examinees, on making it this far into the Chuunin Exam. I am happy to announce that the Third Exam shall begin today in only half an hour. The Third Exam consist of one-on-one battles which are selected randomly as you pick a number from this box and are paired up with your opponent on this chart." He pointed to a board and box Shigame was holding. "Now, if you please, come up one at a time and pick a number from this box."

As he looked around at the ninjas who passed he seemed crestfallen, and I, who was closest, heard him mumble, "So, there are no Cloud Ninjas again."

Neji was up first. He grabbed a slip of paper from the box and said, "Ten." Shigame then wrote his name under the 10 on the board.

Next was Lee. "One." He seemed quite disappointed. Maybe he didn't want to go first.

TenTen: "Six."

Chubby Sound Guy: "Five."

Orochimaru: "Four."

Cannibal: "Seven."

Temari: "Three."

Gaara: "Eleven."

Kankurou: "Two."

Hinako: "Nine."

Jin: "Eight."

It was my turn. I grabbed a slip of paper and pulled out a slip of paper. "Twelve."

Shigame wrote my name on the board. My heart skipped a beat when I realized who my opponent was.

"I will now read out the match ups," Raikage said as he read the board. "First will be Rock Lee versus Kankurou. Next will be Temari versus Orochimaru. Then, Kinuta Pakuno versus TenTen. After that, its Joujin Guru versus Nakagawa Jin. Then it will be Uchiha Hinako versus Hyuuga Neji. Last, it will be Gaara versus Kichino Sarafu."

Hinako looked at me and then at Neji. So, its the two genius clans of Konoha against each other. And its me against Gaara. I was hoping to not go against him, but I made a promise to myself. There was no way I was going to back down now. I looked over at Gaara who gazed back at me with an interested gaze. I smiled at him. He was so unaware of the beat-down he was going to get. He seemed surprised at my smile, but then returned to that same stalward face.

Soon, the rock walls encloseing the valley had carved seats in them, which were soon full of many people. We were ordered to stand shoulder to shoulder over to the side, so that they might observe us. I felt a bit nervous with people all staring my way, but I realized that it wasn't me they were looking at, it was Gaara and Hinako.

"So, its an Uchiha again!"

"This should be a good fight."

"But Gaara isn't against the Uchiha girl, is he?"

"That girl he's fighting against is going to lose fast. Hopefully they'll get it over with soon."

All these comments angered me. Why does everyone care about them so much? I'll show them! I'll beat Gaara, no sweat!

The crowd was silenced by the Raikage. He cleared his throst and said,

"Third Chuunin Exam...BEGIN!"

_...to be continued._


	21. Chapter 21

**First Match: Lee versus Kankuro**

Shigame-sensei stepped out into the middle of the now arena. "First Match: Rock Lee versus Kankurou, please step up!"

Rock Lee and Kankurou who were standing just across from each other in front of Shigame took a step closer.

"You may fight until I stop you, the opponent gives up, or is dead. If you continue to do so, disregarding me, I won't hesitate to take you out. Understand?"

They both nodded.

"Alright then. Begin!"

I was sitting in the third row with Hinako and Jin, cheering for Lee. "Pajama Pants against Lee?" I said more to myself than anyone. "This is gonna be an interesting battle. He was easy for me, but I wonder if Lee is good enough."

"Don't underestimate him," Hinako said. "He's much stronger than he looks."

I looked back down at them, watching them intently.

"Judging from the battle I saw between you and Gaara, I'll need to use Karasu." He took out his puppet which was wrapped in the same old bandages.

Lee held his hand up in fighting position. "I am ready."

Pajama Pants pulled a bandage and they all unravelled to reveal his puppet.

"Hold on!" I gasped in realization. "I expected him to make his puppet again, but that looks different!"

"He probably updated it," Jin said.

Karasu, did, indeed look different from before. It had more arms and only one eye this time. It made a clattering sound. Kankurou bent his legs a little and held out his hands. Lee spread his feet out a little. There was a moment of stillness and then Lee was gone. The crowd gasped in astonishment. Then he appeared behind Kankurou, whom he then punched. Kankurou went flying across the ground before he then skidded to a stop. Lee stood there triumphantly.

It's true, I thought. Lee is way too fast for Pajama Pants. There's no way he can win.

Kankurou got back up. But, when I saw his face, I gave a gasp of horror.

"Oh my gosh! He's cracking!"

"You idiot," Jin said. "That's not Kankurou, that's karasu. The karasu you saw was actually Kankurou."

And when I took another look, I realized this to be true. The real Karasu was standing there, cracked, but still held together. What we all thought was Karasu, was Kankurou in disguise. He then took off his disguise and we saw his real face. He smiled and moved his fingers a little. Karasu flung itself at Lee who dodged it, but then Karasu's mouth opened and poison spewed out. Rock Lee was enshrouded with purple clouds, before we finally saw him jump out. He was coughing and holding his mouth. Looks like he had enhaled a little bit of the smoke. He wavered for a moment and then fell to his knees.

"Oh, no! It looks like he took in too much poison." I stood up worried.

"Sit down," Hinako said. "Don't worry. From the looks of it, he's just gonna be nauseated."

I sat down, calmed a little, but only a little.

Lee tried to get up, but hacked and coughed which made him fall back down on the ground. Kankurou took this chance and sent Karasu towards him. His arms opened wide and little knives appeared on his arm. Lee managed to dodge the first attack, but his arm was hugged tightly by Karasu. The sharp knives cut deep into his arm. He gave a cry of pain, before he finally broke himself free. The pain seemed to help him regain his senses and he stood upright. He jumped away from Karasu and Kankurou, putting a safe distance between them. He undid the bandages around his arm a bit so that there was a single strand hanging down from each hand. Kankurou frowned. Lee looked at Pajama Pants just before he disappeared again. He then appeared in fornt of Pajama Pants, but kneeled. He kicked him in the chin, which sent him flying upward. Lee jumped into the air and was flying just beneath Kankurou. I looked and I saw Kankurou's fingers move just a bit, before Lee's badages wrapped around him securely. Lee then grabbed Kankurou and they both went spinning into the ground. "Primary Lotus!"

There was a big blast as rocks went flying everywhere, but not far enough so it hit the audience. Once the smoke had cleared, we saw Lee standing there looking at his opponent, who was not visible for the hole that was in the ground.

Then to our horror, we saw Kankurou standing behind Lee, whom he stabbed with a kunai knife.

How did he survive?

_...to be continued._


	22. Chapter 22

**Konoha's Blue Beast**

All though my entire being hoped that that was a replacement, I knew that Lee could not use ninjutsu. He really had been stabbed. Kankuro had predicted the whole battle, and most likely the blade was poisoned. But Lee didn't move away. Instead, he leapt up in the air and grabbed Pajama Pants with his legs. He put his hands on the ground and flipped Pajama Pants over, crashing his head into the ground. Lee then let go and flipped back, away from Kankuro. He took the kunai out of his back and held it in his hand.

Smart move, Lee, and luckily, from the looks of it, the blade really wasn't poisoned. You can beat Pajama Pants, no sweat. You just need to finish it off with a really awesome combo!

Kankuro got back and fixed his neck. "Dammit," he cursed under his breath, "the kid's gotten stronger." He moved his fingers and Karasu charged at him. Lee dodged the attacks and even tripped Karasu, occasionally, but the puppet was so persistent that there was never an opening for Lee to attack Kankuro. Any shurikens or kunais thrown at him were blocked or easily dodged. Eventually, Karasu spat out another cloud of poison gas, Lee jumped away, but that was just what Pajama Pants wanted. Another, fatter puppet appeared behind Lee. Its stomach was open and Lee fell in. The doors closed and Lee was trapped inside. Karasu jumped into the air and all of its body parts detached and showed sharp blades. All the parts flew towards Lee.

"Oh no!" Jin cried out. "He's gonna get stabbed from all directions!"

But just before the blades entered the other wooden puppet, Lee busted through. There was now a giant hole in the side of the other puppet. Lee was able to survive. He stood a safe distance away.

"I didn't think I'd have to open any more chakra gates for you," he said more to himself than to anyone, "but I guess one more will do." He then turned and gazed at his sensei's smiling face in the crowd. "Please acknowledge this, Gai-sensei."

"What's he gonna do?" I wondered aloud.

He crouched a little and placed his hands before him as if to power up. I felt an overwhelming enery emitting from him. And it showed; a great wind began to blow from him. And suddenly he began to glow! "Second Gate, Initial Gate!"

"Is this massive amount of chakra coming from him?" I gasped in wonder.

"That is a forbidden jutsu," Hinako said clamly. "Lee is able to open 5 of the celestial gates."

I turned toward her. "Really? I can only open four, and that's in my dragon form. Out of that I can only open two."

In a flash, Lee was next to Kankuro. He threw him up in the air and, from my point of veiw, slapped him around. Needless to say, Kankuro got bloody. Then, Lee finished it off with a spinning kick. "Konoha Senpu!"(Konoha Whirlwind.) Pajama Pants flew like a rocket and crashed into one of the rock walls enclosing the valley, missing the audience by a little space. Kankuro fell back down to the ground, but didn't get up. Karasu and the other puppet fell onto the ground as well. Now I was sure Pajama Pants was defeated. Shigame-sensei walked up to Pajama Pants and checked.

"It's a Knock Out. Rock Lee wins!"

The crowd gave a loud cheer as well as me. Lee was stronger than I thought. Probably even stronger than that. He wasn't lying when he boasted to me about being the greatest taijutsu user in the world. I was glad. But not for long. The next match was coming up.

"Shut up!" Shigame-sensei yelled. "Alright, now let's begin the next match. Temari and Orochimaru, step up."

_...to be continued._


	23. Chapter 23

**Rising Tension**

"Temari and Orochimaru, step up."

I already knew the outcome of this battle. There was no way Temari could win. Now that it occured to me, I had never really fought her either, but I felt Orochimaru's power that night, and I knew he was unrivaled. I truly did fear him. But that didn't mean I'd obey him.

Orochimaru smiled confidently as Temari frowned. She knew the power of her opponent.

"Alright! Let the Match Begin!"

Temari jumped backward and whipped out her fan. Orochimaru didn't take a step, but was laughing. He licked his lips with that freakishly long tongue of his. Temari knitted her eyebrows and made the first move.

"Wind Element, Sickling Winds!"

She made a sweeping motoin, as winds sliced through the air. But Orochimaru didn't move. The winds went slicing around him as he slowly walked forward.

"Tch!" Temari scowled.

Orochimaru held his hands out. "Hidden Snake Hands!" Snakes shot out of his sleeves and towards Temari. In a flash, Temari was gone. Orochimaru looked up and saw her flying on her fan. She landed just a little ways off. Her fan was a bit more open this time, so you could see two purple dots.

"Second Star!" She swept her fan and more powerful winds blew around him. But this time, he moved out of the way. He slithered across the floor like a snake towards her. Temari was too shocked to move out of the way in time, and he...bit...her.

"That's so gross!" I exclaimed. "What if he had rabies or something?"

"I highly doubt that," Jin sighed at me. "And even if he does have rabies, he wouldn't be so calm like that."

"Shut up, you two and watch," Hinako said angrily. "More than likely, one of us is going to have to fight him later on."

"Well, if it turns out to be me, you can take my place Hinako," I said.

She glared at me just before turning back to look at the fight. "Heh. It's over already?"

I quickly turned away and found Orochimaru wrapped around Temari. He's really flexible. She had dropped her fan, and now he was choking her. Her arms were tied up too. There wasn't anyway for her to escape. She then passed out from lack of oxygen. Orochimaru let her go and she fell to the ground. Shigame walked up. She was about to announce Orochimaru the winner, when he whipped out a knife and began to go towards Temari.

_Holy- Is he- He's trying to kill Temari! I've gotta help her! _After making sure no one was watching, I formed the seals and held my hand in the air. Come on, Wind Demon, wake her up! Or move her out of the way or something. A great gulf of wind blew forth and was so powerful it made Temari roll across the ground. Orochimaru missed his stab and pulled his kunai back out of the ground. He looked over at my direction. _He knows it was me!_ I tried to look astonished, but it wasn't fooling him. But he didn't do anything. He just smiled at me, mockingly, almost as if to say, 'You think you can save her?'

The Wind Demon, which wasn't visible at the moment, slapped Temari. It was a rude awakening, but she got up and recovered herself. She bit her thumb and placed her hand on the ground, "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" (Summoning jutsu) There was a puff of smoke that revealed what appeared to be a giant panther. It was black with a blue vest and an eyepatch covering its left eye. It was holding a giant reaper and was ready to go. It lept towards Orochimaru and began swinging his weapon at him. Orochimaru dodged and even bit the summon. But meanwhile, Temari was creating a tornado with her fan. It blew around Orochimaru and the panther. Orochimaru frowned and formed some seals with his hand. I didn't recognize them at all. "Second Skin." The Tornado hit Orochimaru and he went flying through the air.

"There's chakra embedded in that Tornado," Hinako said. "There's no way for him to escape. He's gonna be sliced to pieces."

And when the tornado finally died down, Orochimaru fell down to the groun with scratches all over his body. I had a funny feeling. That was a great technique Temari used, but something didn't seem right. Orochimaru stood up. But his face was peeling off. And so was the rest of his body. Eventually he had peeled off an entire skin. He was completely untouched. He smirked and summoned an enourmous, brown, two-headed snake. It ate the panther.

_Well,...if I was a giant snake I probably would've done the same thing_, I told myself._ But what's Temari gonna do now?_

Orochimaru jumped on top of one of the Snake's heads, while the snake opened its mouth and charged at Temari. She dodged it so it only got a mouthful of earth. She waved her fan, but the wind didn't seem to affect it at all. The giant snake smacked her with its tail as she went flying and hit one of the walls of the valley. This time, she was really out. There was no way my Wind Demon could wake her up now. Shigame finally declared Orochimaru the winner. His snake disappeared. Shigame glared at him as he walked away. Medical ninjas took Temari away, but I was surprised she got away with that little of injuries.

"Orochimaru doesn't see her as a threat," Hinako answered my question. "He doesn't see a need to kill her. Besides, if he went out of his way to kill her, it would just draw too much attention. The people from this village don't know about Orochimaru, but if he starts killing everyone, they will try to sieze him."

"I guess that makes sense," I thought out loud. "So who's up next?"

"TenTen and Kinuta Pakuno."

"Heh. Pakuno. That's a funny name."

"Don't laugh."

"Why not? He's a bad guy."

"But that's so immature to laugh at someone else's name."

"You should know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You keep saying that I'm from the Cappuccino Clan."

"Well, you deserved that."

"Wha-!"

_...to be continued. _


	24. Chapter 24

**Pakuno versus TenTen**

Shigame looked around the chattering crowd. "Things are getting troublesome; I didn't get him that time..." She mumbled to herself and then yelled, "Quiet Down! It's time for the next match! Kinuta Pakuno and TenTen, please step up!"

"Alright!" I shouted with excitement. "I can't wait to watch TenTen fight!"

"You shouldn't be so relaxed."

I froze at the voice and turned around to find Orochimaru standing next to me. (I was sitting at the end of the row of seats.) My entire body was wriggling on the inside, but I tried to remain cool and collected. I glanced over at my comrades who barely seemed to even notice he was there. Hinako answered my astonished gaze with a bored "It's not like he's gonna try anything, just shut up and watch the match."

_How the hell can she be so calm! She knows about Orochimaru! Why doesn't she feel alarmed! Am I the only one who knows how dangerous this guy is?_

"Calm down," Hinako sighed, aggrivated. I saw a glint and noticed that she was holding a kunai in her hand, and so was Jin. I felt a bit more relieved after that. Orochimaru noticed, but took no heed. "Although Pakuno is big, he's not our muscle."

I looked at him curiously for the strange comment, but it wasn't directed at me. He was looking at Hinako who was ignoring him and gazing down at the arena. "Well of course he's not your muscle with all that fat on him," I said stupidly. "There's no room for muscle."

Orochimaru frowned. "For his fighting style, he doesn't need any muscle."

I searched his gleaming eyes and then looked down at Pakuno. What kind of technique could this guy have?

"Third Match, Pakuno versus TenTen, BEGIN!"

TenTen immeadiatly jumped back a good distance. Her distance with the enemy was perfect; not too far, not too close. She could be offensive and defensive. She already had shurikens in her hand and she was waiting expectantly, observing him.

"Hm. Useless." Pakuno formed some hand signs. "I can see that you are a distance fighter. That works well. Ninpou, Sound Typhoon."

There was silence. Nothing happened. Whispers rushed across the crowd. "What's going on?" Then, suddenly, TenTen fell on her knees and cried out in pain.

"Wha-What happened?" I gasped.

"You are slow, Sarafu," Hinako said.

"Hmph!"

"Don't you 'Hmph!' me. It's obviously sound. He must be able to control a sound he was making, but he made it so high-pitched that only someone as close as TenTen could hear, and she would hear it well. To her, it must feel like a typhoon."

"That's not good! Why doesn't TenTen just plug her ears with something."

"Baka! It's not that simple! Besides,...there's something familiar about him."

Orochimaru chuckled delightfully. "So you noticed? Yes, as you probably guessed, he is Kinuta Dosu's younger brother. They have the same ability to control the flow of sound, but Pakuno's technique is just a little bit more useful."

That's right! He said that Pakuno used his body mass for something, but what? What does that have to do with sound? Maybe he just hasn't used his final move yet.

TenTen squinted from the pain, but didn't drop the shurikens. She threw them at Pakuno who simply stepped out of the way. "Oh no, the sound must be affecting her eardrum, causing her to loose balance!"

Hinako and Jin stared at me, astonished. I, too, was surprised myself. How did I know that? Could it-

I stared at Orochimaru, scared. He leaned his face close to mine and whispered "That's why I want you."

"It's not true! Go away!" I flicked my head back toward the match, away from Orochimaru. _There's no way_, I told myself. _Absolutely no way. It's too early._

TenTen struggled on the ground. Pakuno laughed. "I don't even have to try with you. You are so weak."

"Do not underestimate me!" She grabbed a scroll and opened it. "Sheild of Scrolls!" The scroll opened up and spun around her, until she was encased in a shell of scrolls. Pakuno frowned. Then, a whole assortment of weapons appeared up from the ground behind Pakuno. They shot towards him, but he moved out of the way. The light showed that there was a thin string attached to each of the weapons, and it was pulled. They flew back at Pakuno who quickly dodged to the right, but not fast enough. He was sliced deeply by a sword and squinted in pain. The threw a kunai and it cut the strings. The weapons fell to the ground, and didn't move.

"Tch. Annoying little Konoha bug!" Pakuno cursed. "I didn't think I'd have to go this far for you." He put his hands together. "Chakra Transformation." And then...he grew smaller, or, to be more precise, grew skinnier. All of his fat seemed to disappear until he looked normal.

Hinako gasped. "That's Chouji's- The red pill...how?"

"Ha!" I pointed at Orochimaru. "He still has no muscles!"

"Sarafu, you're an idiot," Jin said. "Look at him more closely."

I did, then, observe him, and tried to surpress my gasp of shock. This amazing amount of chakra! I see now. He can transform all of his body fat into chakra, just like the body changes fat into energy. With this amount, he'll have unlimited chakra access!

He walked over the cacoon of scroll that hid TenTen, and punched it with his fist. The paper gave in, and TenTen was hit with full force. She hit the ground hard, but quickly recovered. She flipped back and threw some shurikens at him. Pakuno held his hand up to each of them, and they bounced off. "The chakra! He's using the chakra to deflect the shurikens!"

TenTen, too, noticed this, and stopped her constant bombardment of weapons. She then, whipped out two scrolls in which she placed on the ground. She formed some hand seals and then there was a great poof of smoke. TenTen jumped high into the air and the smoke followed her, shaped like dragons.

"Rising Twin Dragons."

She was hit with the smokey dragons, and then she held the two scrolls. Still in the air, she spun around with the opened scrolls, and poof! out came weapons. She threw the with great speed and each at a fatal spot. Pakuno deflected them each with his one hand.

"I'm not done with you!" She began to fall back to the ground, but she moved her fingers around and the weapons moved again. They attacked Pakuno from behind. Pakuno didn't move this time, but they were still deflected! The chakra. Pakuno smiled, but then! He was choking! He clawed at his neck, trying to breathe. TenTen landed on the ground, holding her hands up. She moved, and Pakuno began to choke tighter.

"I see!" Jin exclaimed. "So that was the purpose of the strings! The weapons were just a distraction! Now she will defeat the enemy!"

TenTen smiled triumphantly. Pakuno slowly began to get fatter. He clawed at the string. "That won't work!" TenTen yelled across at him. "I embedded my chakra into it. Only Neji would know how to cut that string." Pakuno glared at TenTen just before he fainted. His body clumped to the ground and the crowd roared.

"Yay! TenTen!"

Shigame walked to Pakuno's body. After kicking him in the side, she declared TenTen the winner. Everyone cheered, except for Orochimaru. But he wasn't distraught, either. He even smiled. What's wrong with this guy? His teammate just got defeated and he is happy?

_...to be continued._


	25. Chapter 25

**Guru versus Jin**

Jin got up from his seat. "Good Luck," I said to him as he got up. He seemed a bit flustered as he retorted a "yeah, whatever" back at me. I stuck my tongue out at him just as he left. I turned around to find Orochimaru gone. "Huh? Where'd he go?"

"He's already learned what he needed to know," Hinako said looking off into space.

"Why do you get everything so quickly?"

"I don't. You're just slow."

I stuck my tongue out at her as well. But she didn't seem to notice. Her mind seemed to be focused on more important matters. I ignored her and looked to see who Jin was fighting. I gave a gasp as Shigmae announced, "Nakagawa Jin and Jojin Guru step forward."

"THE CANNIBAL!" I screamed in my shock. "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! THAT GUY'S A PSYCHO! IT'S NO FAIR TO PIT HIM AGAINST A CHILD!"

Shigame glared up at me. "What does your opinion matter?" She pointed up at me. "Besides, they were chosen randomly! If he didn't want to fight then he shouldn't have entered the Chuunin Exams in the first place!"

I stood there with my mouth hanging open. Well, she does have a point there. I think I'll sit down now. He slowly went down as all of the eyes in the valley were upon me. Some eyes I really didn't like. I blushed a little at all the attention.

"Baka," Hinako grumbled.

"If we have no more objections," Shigame looked up at me haughtily. "Then I will begin the next match. OK, let's have a fair and clean- what the hell am I saying? You guys are freaks, just go already."

She stepped out of the way as Guru licked his lips and looked Jin up and down. "Not much, but I guess you're good enough of an appetizer."

Jin stepped back a little at this statement made by the cannibal. But he still stood there, ready for anything. Since the cannibal wasn't making any intentions on moving, Jin decided to make the first move. "Concealing Mist jutsu."

A fog spread across the valley floor, and the rest of the battle was unseen to us. "Sharingan," Hinako said immeadiatly after this feat was accomplished.

"You can see, right Hinako?" I said as I scooted closer to her. "What's going on right now?"

"Jin is trying to locate Guru," she said blankly. "He's probably using the most obvious ninja technique: the silent kill."

"That just goes to show how scared of him he is," I thought aloud. "He really wants to get this over with. I don't blame him."

"Ah! He made a move! Idiot! That's not going to work!"

"What! What happened?"

"Jin just threw a whole bunch of shuriken at Guru. They obviously all missed, but now Jin's location has been exposed and Guru is running after him with a kunai."

"And?"

"Oh, it was an illusion. Jin really couldn't see where Guru was, so he made an illusion of himself throw obvious shurikens at Guru, so Guru would attack that spot. Then, Jin would know where he was. So Jin is now attacking Guru with fireballs."

"Did they hit?"

"One did, but most of them missed. Guru's left arm is burnt. What's this? He disappeared! How come my sharingan can't see him? It's supposed to see everything!"

"Not everything," came a voice behind us.

We turned around to see who the intruder was. "Gai-sensei, Lee! What are you guys doing here? And you too, Neji, TenTen. That was a good match by the way, TenTen."

She bowed her head slightly. "Thank you, Sarafu-san. I eagerly await your battle as well."

I smiled. I didn't.

"You aren't able to see him, because the sharingan can only see through jutsus," Neji said. "The Byakugan is the all-seeing eye. You can't see Guru because he is under the ground. He had dug a hole so quickly, even you're sharingan didn't see it."

"What are you talking about? That would have to be at the speed of light!" Hinako exclaimed.

"He has a similar power to you."

Hinako turned back to the mist. What did Neji mean? Does Hinako really have the power to dig holes very fast? She would make an excellent miner.

Suddenly, there was a scream coming from the mist. The scream was so high-pitched I couldn't tell whether it was Guru or Jin. Then, a fire blew the mist away. Jin was running around on fire. Guru was standing there laughing at him.

I sighed. _Jin...what was that? I know you're better than that._

After Jin had rolled the fire out on the ground, he got back up formed some hand seals. "Infinite Hail jutsu!" There was a loud roll of thunder as dark clouds began to appear. It began to rain. Guru stood there, taking little notice.

"Is that it? Just a little shower? What a weak technique."

Jin smirked. I heard a chink and knew what was going on. It was hailing. I looked at Hinako who was smiling proudly.

"You taught him that technique, didn't you?"

She nodded. "He begged me for a new technique, so I taught him a simple ice jutsu."

I looked back at the fight to see what the technique produced. The hail had become the size of baseballs by now. Guru held up his arm defensivly. He had bruises on his head and body from when he was hit with the ice. The hail was getting bigger and bigger. I looked at Jin. He was safe. Not a single piece of ice hit him. Well, that was to be expected. Guru didn't want to stand there anymore so he formed some seals and said "Compressed Air Balls jutsu!" He spat out great balls of air towards Jin. The boy frowned, and a great stream of hail fell in the way of Guru's attacks. They collided and the ice shattered. Jin and Guru were both stabbed with shards of ice. Jin in the left shoulder, and Guru in the stomach. Jin stumbled back and his jutsu was undone. Guru ripped the ice shard out of his stomach and he licked the blood off of it. Jin pulled his shard out as well, but he didn't lick it. He grimaced from the pain. Guru chuckled.

"I'm getting kind of hungry. Well, itadakimasu!"

And he disappeared. Jin frantically looked around, but he was no where in sight. And suddenly, Jin cried out in pain as blood splashed out from his arm. Some of the blood was suspended in mid-air. "That's it! He's invisible!" Guru had bit Jin in the arm. Jin tried to pull away, but Guru held fast with his teeth.

"Jin!" I cried desperatly. I looked closely and saw that Jin was crying. He was so frightened, that he even screamed.

"He is a child, after all," Hinako said grimly. "He is too immature to take the terrors of the Chuunin Exam. It was bad luck for him to be paired up with Guru. Hopefully, he'll live."

"Hinako!" I gasped at her. "Try to have more faith in him! Why do you always see the bad side of things? Jin might need this to realize the dangers of reality. He will live through this, and he will become stronger!"

Hinako didn't reply, but frowned down at the battle. She was right about one thing, though. Jin wasn't ready for all of this. He's too over-confident.

Jin in his desperate fear kicked Guru, in what was believed to be the spot where he was hit with the ice shard. Guru gave out a cry from the pain, which made him let go of Jin. Jin ran a safe distance away and turned back to face Guru.

"I can't keep cowering in fear! I need to fight back! Water Element, Wave of Tears!" Water appeared out of the ground before Jin. It grew into a giant wave that was headed for Guru. Guru looked around, but there was no where for him to run. He formed some hand seals, but he was too slow. The water crashed on top of him and he was swept away. The water splashed all over the audience, but we were high enough to only be sprinkled. Guru waved his arms and desperatly gasped for air, but he was pulled down into the water. The water filled up the valley, and there was now a pond, which covered the first row of seats, and the people sitting there had to move. They were drenched wet. Jin stood on the surface of the water, perfectly dry. He had his hand on his hips and he was glaring down at the still water.

It had been ten minutes, and still no sign of Guru. Jin smirked and looked over at Shigame, but Shigame didn't make any movements. Jin stood there, confused, for a second, just before a wire strangled Jin. Guru appeared behind him and he was laughing evilly. Jin coughed.

"How did he survive!" I exclaimed. "He didn't come out of the water for a long time. There was no way he could have lived!"

"No," Hinako said coldly. "While he was under water, he molded his chakra, and made a bubble around his head, so he had air."

Jin's neck was being cut by the very fine wire. He was bleeding. After a struggle, he passed out and landed in Guru's arms. "Chow time!" He sang. Just before he sunk his teeth into Jin's arm, Shigame had a kunai to his neck.

"The match is over," she growled. "You take one bite and I'll cut your head clean off."

Guru froze, afraid, and then gave Jin to Shigame. She removed her kunai from his shivering neck and put it back in her pouch, while cradling Jin in her arms. "Fourth Match, Joujin Guru wins!" The crowd cheered as Jin was taken away by Shigame.

"Man, it sucks that Jin lost. Sorry, Hinako, but I'm gonna go check him out and see if he's ok."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Becuase, I'm gonna miss some of your fight."

Hinako looked at me with sudden realization. She was going up against Neji now. How would she fare?

_...to be continued._


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: **Here's some more chapters for you. I love these. Enjoy!

**Neji versus Hinako**

I went down to the infirmary where Jin was being kept. I tried to get in, but the medical ninjas shooed me away, saying "He needs rest and you're too noisy." Although worried, I gave up and headed to Hinako's battle, which had surely started by then.

I came in to the valley with it hailing, and hailing pretty badly. As it did, it grew larger and larger till it was pretty dang hard to avoid it. I sat down in my seat, which now felt empty, without Jin or Hinako there. Sadly enough, I had begun to wish Mr. Kyo was there. Neji smiled and said "Byakugan." The veins around his eyes popped out and he looked kinda weird. He spun around on the ground in a field of chakra. It knocked the hail away or shattered it. Although her attack was being flawed, Hinako, strangely, had a knowing smile on her face. "Sharingan," she said and then formed familiar hand signs.

"Flying jutsu!" Silver wings grew from her back and she took off.

I stood there with my mouth open. "Hey! That's cheating! Give me back my technique!" I yelled at her, even though she obviously wasn't listening. I can't believe she stole my technique! I hope Neji wins!

Which speaking of, he was deflecting all of Hinako's attacks, easily, but Hinako still had that odd smile on her face.

What's she up to? I wondered.

"Living ice," I heard Hinako say as the hail stopped. Neji stopped spinning and stood there, preparing for the next attack. All of the ice on the battle field moved and seemed to come alive. After a while, there were many ice Neji's. They all began their barrage of attacks. However, this did not even phase him. He just fought them off as usual. It seemed just like Neji to have that bored expression on his face, though a bit annoying. He made his way to a Hinako clone, and used his Jyuuken to get rid of her. He then stared up at Hinako blankly. He yelled "What's wrong Hinako? I thought you said you wouldn't hold back on me."

"I am not going to, but I had to test you, of course. What I just now did, I would expect Sarafu to even defeat."

I glared at her for that statement. "What do you mean by 'even'?"

She pulled out her sycthe and formed the seals: serpant, ox, horse, monkey, dragon, bird, and her sycthe split in two. I gasped in shock. The two pieces formed two swords, one seemed to be made out of pure fire and the othermade of pure ice like her sycthe. Then Hinako began to spin around using her own version of the Hakkesho Kaiten.

How many more techniques are you gonna steal, Hinako?

Her chakra began to glow white and red, more than likely due to the swords. She began to fly higher and higher, till she flipped over and dove down to Neji. With an explosion of chakra, she hit the ground. The impact had torn apart Hinako's white kimono jacket to reveal a huge tattoo on her back.

The tattoo was that of a hourglass with an iceshard piercing the top of it. To the left was a crescent moon and to the right was the sun.

Although, astonished to find Hinako's newest body art, I was also angry as well.

You stole my jutsu and now my moon? That's it! I'm gonna wear a white kimono from now on, and see how you like it!

Hinako turned around and looked up at me. After a smirk, she turned back to Neji and said, "What do you think of my cursed tattoo. Pretty, isn't it?" Neji stood there-whether surprised or shocked, I couldn't tell cause he still seemed to have that blank face of his. Hinako sliced at him with the ice sword, and he just barely dodged it. Then she slashed with the fire sword from the other side. He dodged again and backed away.

"Summoning jutsu," Hinako said while biting her thumb and hitting the ground. A massive pheonix flew into the side with bright red wings. The spot from where he had once appeared was covered with magma. To my shock and dismay, Hinako threw her sword at the pheonix, killing him.

How could she do such a thing to so beautiful a creature? And how come she can summon a pheonix anyway?

An explosion of magma rained down on them. Neji began to spin and deflected it all. Hinako just stood there; the magma missing her by inches. A half mad grin spread across her face. I had never seen Hinako like that before. It was kinda creepy. Then she looked at Neji. He had been hit when the magma rained down and was in pain. But the sword of ice had also hit him, so he had turned blue, and froze.

Hinako smiled and walked over to him.

"Poor little Neji!" She said mockingly. "He is hurt! If only I could preserve the fear in your beautiful eyes forever." She laughed and picked up his bleeding hand-breaking it away from the ice-and licked the blood from it .

My inside squirmed. She must have been spending too much time with Guru. The memory of her in the cave with Guru stil haunted my mind. I looked over at Guru, who was staring at Hinako, almost proudly. He knew this was going to happen. I scowled and, reluctantly, looked back at Hinako and the frozen Neji. Hinako was smiling again, but sweetly this time. She glanced over at me just before she bent over him and kissed him on the lips. I blushed slightly at her boldness.

Really, Hinako. You're in the middle of a battle. You really must be a psycho. What's everyone gonna say after this...

Hinako pulled away smiled, then knocked him out. Shigame came over, although giving Hinako a funny look, yelled "Uchiha Hinako is the winner!" The crowd cheered and Hinako came back up to her seat.

"That was cheap!" I stumbled out, not really knowing what to say. "Taking advantage of him, while he was down."

"I wouldn't be worried about me right now, Sarafu," Hinako said coolly. "You are fighting Gaara next. I am sure we can talk later about my desicions. In fact, we will have to before I leave."

"Leave?" I said "Where are you going?"

"You will find out soon enogh, Sarafu," She said, just as Jin came walking with bandages wrapped around his arm.

"Hinako that was disgusting, you sicko!"

She just smiled and said, "Well at least I am not a cannibal...yet."

"Jin!" I gasped surprised. "How'd you get out of the infirmary?"

"I escaped, but don't tell anyone."

I chuckled a little and led him to his seat. I was glad he was alright. Although, I was a bit happier, my heart still didn't calm down. All during Hinako's battle, my mind was really on Gaara. I had gathered up the courage to fight him, but how was I going to do it. My heart skipped a beat as Shigame yelled out for the next competitors.

_...to be continued._


	27. Chapter 27

**Sarafu versus Gaara Part 1**

I stepped out into the valley. Even though it had been hailing for two battles straight, the heat from the volcanoes could not be avoided. I took a deep breath as Gaara stood before me. On the outside, I frowned, but on the inside...

_AAWWWWW! He looks so cool in that leather jacket!!!! I want to hug him! I want squeeze his head off!!!_

But Gaara didn't seem to show emotion. That was what made him a bit different than Neji. Neji showed signs of boredom, but Gaara didn't seem to have his mind in the battle at all. Thinking of Neji reminded me of Hinako's bold move. I blushed, but tried to calm myself down.

Maybe I could-No! I must not sucumb to her evil ways! I can't steal his kiss!! But he looks so-No! But there is another way...

"Gaara!" I called out to him as Shigame stepped up. "Before we begin this battle, I want to make a little bet with you."

This seemed to peak his interest. "What is it?"

My cheeks flustered a bit. "If I win this battle, you have to go out with me."

Gaara seemed a bit struck-but I couldn't tell with what emotion. "And if I win?"

"I'll...ummmmm...I'll stop bothering you."

"Forever?"

That hurt me a bit. "Uhh...yeah, sure."

"Ok, agreed."

I held out my hand. "So it's a deal, then?"

He took it. "Yes."

I smirked. _Heeheeh. How little do you know, Gaara, that today, you will be mine!! For good!! I'll try not to break you to bad. MWAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!_

My smirk turned into an evil one as he let go of my hand. What to do first? Ah! I know! I'll use my new technique! I'd like to see Hinako copy this one!

"Can I start now?" Shigame said impatiently.

I nodded.

"Ok, then. Last Battle of the First Round: Sabaku no Gaara versus Kichino Sarafu, BEGIN!!!"

I hopped back and Gaara's cork popped out of his gourd, as sand began to pour out. I smiled confidently and put my hands together. "Kage Bushin no justu!" Five other clones of me appeared next to me in a line. We all put our hands together and in unison said, "I'll show you the newest technique that I learned from Rock Lee and Gai-sensei. Insanity Technique!"

This is going to be hard to explain, so try to keep up with me, ok? So Sarafu Clone #1 (Me) started leaping around like a frog and trying to catch any bugs in the air. Sarafu Clone #2 started fighting Sarafu Clone #4, because she wouldn't give her back her petunias. So Sarafu Clone #2 put on armor, and started attacking Sarafu Clone #4 with a giant sword made of rubber and calling her "Yggdrasil." Sarafu Clone #4, meanwhile, wore a black cape and kept monologing about how she was so superior and would never be defeated by the other clone, and how her evil plan was inevitable. Sarafu Clone #5 started giving Gaara a lesson on how to correctly pronounce the word "forward". And while all of this was happening, Sarafu Clone #6 turned into a desk for Gaara to sit in, which he was somehow forced to by Sarafu Clone #1 (The frog).

Now, it is safe to say that Gaara showed some expression on his face. Just a little bit of bewilderment was mixed into his straining face.

"Gaara!" exclaimed Sarafu Clone #5. "Are you paying any attention to me?! Do you want detention today after school? And what's with that look on your face? Are you trying to give me atittude?!"

"Ehh..." was all that Gaara could manage to get out.

"Stop that back sassing! That's it! Detention! Detentions for everyone! Even you Yggdrasil!"

Yggdrasil(Sarafu Clone #4)'s head lowered. "Awwwww..."

"And you!" Sarafu Clone #5 turned on Sarafu Clone #1(frog). "Quit eating my rare African Dung Beetles!!"

"Ribbit!"

"Detention for you too!"

_Heeheeh. How long will your mind last, Gaara?_

After about 5 mintues, nothing happened. Gaara had regained his same stone-cold face, and any attacks in disguise, were faltered by the sand. So Gaara, just stood there, but he only looked at the ground.

_Hmn. So this won't break you, huh? Well, then, it looks like we'll have to increase our numbers._

All the clones stopped and put their hands together. "Tajuu Kage Bushin no jutsu!" About a million or so clones of me appeared and we all continued our massive chaos. Sarafu Clone #136 mangaed to turn into a baby and called Gaara "mommy". Although, she desperatly tried to be cradled in "mommy's" arms, he simply refused, thus causing Sarafu Clone #136 to cry. Sarafu Clone #97, who was next to Sarafu Clone #136 turned into a larch and stood there. Sarafu Clone #54 was a slut and tried to show off her sex appeal to every male in the entire valley, and with much success. Sarafu Clone #275, on the other hand, was a french man who tried to hit on all the men, but with little success. Sarafu Clone #56 sold peanuts to the audience. Sarafu Clone #23 turned into a gopher and dug a hole to Canada. I won't bore you with the rest of the details, but believe me when I say they were pretty weird.

The real me didn't transform into anything. In fact, she just stood there,in the midst of all the Sarafu's looking straight at Gaara. Why the hell is he looking at the ground?! If he does that, he can ignore us with some struggle. But still, why at the ground? He could look anywhere, or even close his eyes. I'll see. I'll send Gopher Girl to go see what's so dang interesting.

As I ordered the gopher, I could tell she was tunneling towards Gaara, but instead, she appeared right next to me.

"What the heck are you doing here?! Go to Gaara!"

"Cheeep..jeeep, jeep!"

"Transform back into a human! I have no idea what you're saying!"

The gopher put its hands together and transformed back to its original Sarafu form. "Agh! I can't get through! There's a wall of strangely hard sand."

"SAND?!"

It was too late for me to act. By the time I had realized what was going on, there was nothing I could do about it. That whole time Gaara was staring at the ground, he was actually feeding his sand into the ground and hardening it. And drawing it closer to me. I was obviously the real one. Now what was I going to do? He had trapped me in a caccoon full of sand, and it was so suppressing, I could hardly breathe. I couldn't form hand seals because the sand was holding me tightly. I smiled. All of my clones disappeared, to a group of young men's dismay.

"Looks like I'll have to use that techinque so soon, eh? Oh, well. You brought this upon yourself. Demon of the Sand!"

Gaara finally had a full look of surprise as his sand began to whirl off of me and form the figure of a snake. The Sand Demon hissed at Gaara when it was finally complete.

"I'm not sure if you'll recognize him, but that is the late Kazekage's chakra in there," I told Gaara.

"What?!"

"Oh, don't worry. I wasn't the one who killed him. I do believe we already know the answer to that one. I just happened to be in the neighborhood, and took the remaing bit of chakra in his body soon after his death. I have many people's chakra, and the best thing about this technique is...I don't have to form any seals."

"What?!" I heard Gai-sensei exclaim. "Not form any seals, but that's nearly impossible for a technique of that level!"

"This is my clans fighting style. We have developed a way to use jutsus without hand seals. Of course, for best results, you always want to use hand seals, but it comes in handy for times like these. Now, I can for the seals."

Tiger, Ox, Bird, Dragon, Tiger, Dog, Serpent. I grabbed some grass from the ground and said, "Grass Demon!" The blades of grass in my hand floated into the air and spiraled around each other. They multiplied and took the form of a giant preying mantis. While kneeling on the ground, I dug my hand into the ground and said, "Rock Demon!" The ground shook as it rose into the air and formed the giant four-legged creature with three tails. I held my hand in the air and said "Wind Demon!" As the air around my hand made itself into a little, mini tornado. I formed some more hand seals and then said, "Katon, Hoyenka no jutsu!" Fireballs blew out of my mouth and caught the grass on fire. After doing that, I put my hand into the fire. Squinting from the pain, I quickly said "Fire Demon!" I then pulled my hand out and licked my now burnt hand. I regenerated the cells with my chakra and quickly healed the wound. Fire formed a pheonix, but it wasn't as beautiful as Hinako's. I looked over at Gaara.

Now I have all the Demons out, except for water, but I don't have water, yet. But with Rock, Sand, Grass, Wind, and Fire, there's no way he'll get out of here, untouched. Even with that 'ultimate defense' of his.

"You're move," I called out to him.

He frowned and an arm of sand shot out at me. I dodged as Wind charged at Gaara, growing bigger, until it was just a little below a hurricane. Gaara held himself onto the ground with his sand gripped tightly around his legs. But the ground around Gaara was giving away.

"You will know the full force of my love!" I yelled over the wind. "Fire go!"

The great bird flew towards Gaara, and when it hit the tornado, the wind caught fire and it was then a giant swirling flame. I could tell Gaara was protecting himself with his armor of sand, while he was suspended in air.

"You can't defeat the elements, honey!"

The Grass Demon came up to me. It made a whispering noise, fitting of a preying mantis.

"No, I don't think I'm getting worked up!" I replied angrily at it. "He needs to realize how much I truly love him, even if I have to beat it in him, now think of something clever to do, instead of just running your mouth."

"I don't care what you have, now make yourself useful!"

The Grass Demon walked away as I stared up at the flaming tornado. "Sand! Get in there and mix in with Gaara's sand. Then, attack him from the inside!"

Sand nodded, and slithered its way towards the flaming twister. It was engulfed as it entered. There was a few moments of wait, as my Demons did their work. I really didn't know why I summoned grass, but if I sent him in there now, he'd just burn up. I looked up at the tornado in wait.

_...to be continued._


	28. Chapter 28

**Sarafu versus Gaara Part 2**

It has been five minutes since we last left off. The whole time, nothing happened-or to be more precise-nothing of real change. Gaara has been inside the flaming tornado, for this whole amount of time, in silence. Even though, I sent my Sand Demon after him, I have yet to hear from either Gaara or my demon. I'm beginning to get suspicous. I called for my Fire and Wind Demons to stop their flaming tornado. As the fire died out, I gasped. Gaara was gone! I searched around. Where could he have gone? Then, with horror, I realized his location.

Using the same trick again? But how'd he get his entire body underground? As I thought those words, sand lept up from all sides and wrapped itself around me like a cacoon. Not this again! I called for Sand to come and help me, but he never came. What happened to him? That's right! He wasn't there when Fire and Wind stopped the tornado! Now what am I going to do? Then I thought of something. Rock! Come help me! Dig me out of here! And so, after a couple of seconds, a hole appeared just beneath my feet and I fell. Inside the dark tunnel, the ground below me moved me forwards, and then up and out of the other end of the tunnel. I appeared above the ground, just a few meters awayfrom where the cacoon of sand now slowly fell back to the ground. There was a patch of ground with no grass beneath my feet, from where I had just emerged from the hole.

Where is he?

I felt a little rumble and then, sensing danger, just barely dodged the sand that shot out. But before I could land back down on the ground, another arm of sand came dashing towards me. Oh no, I won't make it! I can't dodge! But Rock had blocked the sand with his massive body. I decided that the best way to stay alive was to keep running around randomly so Gaara couldn't hit me with the sand, but each time, I just barely got away with my limbs.

I can't keep up like this! I'll eventually make a mistake and then it'll be my head. I need to start thinking offensively, but how am I supposed to attack him when I can't even find him? I need to draw him out of the ground somehow. I know!

While running at the same pace, I formed some hand seals, and then said aloud, "Mirage of the Moons!" Training with Mr. Kyo brought out this technique. Sadly enough, it's the only genjutsu I know. All went dark. From no where, it seemed, came a dim, silver light. There was a little mini moon floating in the air, just to my right. Of course, even with this light, no one could see me, for the light only shines on living beings, which also meant that my Demons could not be seen as well. As I looked down, I saw the faint, bluish light eminating from a glowing figure not too far away. "Let's stop this game of hide-and-seek, shall we?" I said to Gaara, but whether or not, he heard me, was a different matter.

So I called out to Rock. "Rock! Mini Earthquake in that direction!" I didn't see him, because my genjutsu was still in affect, but I felt the rumble as the ground split apart. I put my hands together and fed some more chakra into my genjutsu. Four other moons appeared, making the place as bright as the sun. But this time, it showed everything, but me. There was a large crack in the ground where Gaara floated just above on his sand. I saw Gaara's eyes slowly look to the left and then to the right. He couldn't see me, but maybe he could sense me. I smirked and threw a kunai knife, that was also under my invisibility spell. Without even flinching the sand leapt in the way and blocked the kunai.

No way! There's no way he could of sensed that kunai! Crap! Now he knows where I am!

I silently ran around Gaara, throwing kunais as I went, but each was flawlessly blocked by Gaara's sand. But it wasn't this that annoyed me. In fact, I would probably like it better if he was kicking my butt, the problem was that he never flinched or even blinked the whole time. It was like he commited zero brain power to this fight and it was starting to piss me off. Now, I increased the number of kunais. It didn't help.

"That's useless, Sarafu," Gaara calmly said. "No matter how many or how hard you throw those kunais at me, they will all be blocked, whether I like it or not. The Shukaku will see to that."

I paused. "Huh?"

"Sarafu, you say you want to go out with me, but...you know nothing about me!"

I stood still, shocked at Gaara's accusation. "Well, if I know nothing of you, then what makes you think you know anything about me!" I yelled.

"Exactly. We are too different. We cannot understand each other."

"You're wrong!"

"Denial?"

"No! It's for that very reason that I do want to go out with you. I want to get to know you. You're lifestyle, what makes you laugh, what makes you angry, things you hate, things you like...everything! You say that we can't understand each other, but that's wrong! We just never tried! I don't know if you want to know me, but I want to know you, and that's why..."

"..."

"...that's why...I'll win this battle even if I have to nearly kill you!"

I formed the seals I could practically do in my sleep by now. "Summoning jutsu!" Takuro appeared circling around the volcano valley with his enormous, serpentine body. He let out a roar that shook the whole mountain range. "Come on, Takuro!" I yelled. "Let's take a little dip!" Takuro nodded and spun in a circle faster and faster, until all the little droplets on his scales flund off and fell into the valley. First there was mist, then it grew heavier. Eventually, it became a pool of water in the valley almost up to my waist. Fire and Wind flew up out of the way of the Water. Rock stood there and took it, while Sand and Grass sat ontop of Rock. I swirled my hand around in it and called for my Water Demon. The water swirled itself up into the form of a giant manatee.

Now I have successfully called out all of my Demons, now it's time for some fun!

"Grass, Water, make yourselves useful! Get in there!"

Grass lept into the air and sliced it's claws-if you can call them that-in the air, planting seeds into the ground. Water glided along the air and rained down over the valley. Immeadiately, plants grew out of the ground, large plants, with all sorts of leaves and flowers. Their branches shot for Gaara, and I rose on one of the branches of, now, a massive tree growing in the middle of the valley.

Gaara stood there, with his sand blocking the trees branches. "You don't need the sword, Life. You can already make things grow."

"Yeah, and I can also destroy them!"

"Were you referring to me?"

He was beginning with the trash talk. I liked it. I was glad he was enjoying this as much as I was. I laughed and walked into the tree. No, not bump into the tree, actually walk inside of it. I was now out of Gaara's vision. I followed the branches of the tree and grabbed Gaara by the ankles. He gasped, surprised. I tripped him, and he fell off the branch of the tree. He hastily made a cushion of sand to catch his fall, but I was already a step ahead of him. "Takuro! Let him have it!"

Takuro opened his mouth and blasted large balls of water at Gaara at an incredible speed, that if it wasn't for its massive size, it wouldn't have been seen. As Gaara was hit water splashed everywhere, and even knocked me off the tree, but Wind caught me. As the Water settled down onto the ground, I saw Gaara laying on the ground. I gave a little yelp of glee.

_Ye-es! I did get him! His sand wasn't fast enough to protect him this time! Huh? He's getting up! Well, well, well. I'm surprised he could even last through that atta-_

I wasn't able to finish my train of thought for the image I saw. Not only was Gaara dripping water, but also sand. His face was. . .crumbling. He must have put a layer of sand around his whole body just before the battle. So this was the supposed "Armor of Sand" Lee told me about. But that wasn't the thing that appalled me the most. It was the look on his face. His eyes were large and there was this psychotic smile on his face. He had the same excited look that Hinako just had. It made me shiver. Gaara looked at me. He said something, but I couldn't hear for he was whispering. Before I knew it, I was bitch slapped by Gaara's sand. I went flying into the trunk of the tree as my blood went splashing into the air. There was a large boom, as Gaara sent me flying straight through the tree. Until I crashed into the wall of the valley. I was in a three foot deep hole, but Gaara wasn't through. His sand pummeled for another attack. I was so surprised that I didn't have enough time to react. My blood was all over his sand now.

He still wasn't finished with me. His sand grabbed me by the leg and threw me to the other side of the wall. But this time, Takuro intervened. As he lifted me onto his back with his tail, he shot more water blasts at him, but as always, he was protected by the sand.

I shook as I tried to sit up. I clutched my side from the pain. It was wet with blood. I looked around as my Demons began to disappear. Their time had run up. I used up all of their chakra. And soon, Takuro wouldn't be able to stay in this world long with the amount of chakra I had left. I tried desperatly to think of plan. I had seriously underestimated Gaara. I was hurt pretty badly, and I wasn't a medical ninja. (Although, I had learned some healing techniques in the Sky Village.) I put my hand on my side, and began to use a simple healing technique to at least close the wound. Sadly enough, I could tell I wasn't going to win this battle.

"You didn't just think you weren't going to win, now did you?" Takuro lectured me. "Don't give up yet. I'm sure it must hurt, but you need to pull yourself together. You know I won't last long here, so you need to start thinking of a plan."

"I know that! But I don't know how to counter his sand."

"Well...just do exactly what he's doing."

"What do you mean? I can't control sand."

"Not that! Was Gaara like this before? No. You triggered something in him to make him act like that. So you need to trigger something inside of you too."

"You don't mean-"

"I don't see any other way for you to beat him. Besides, you two aren't so different."

"What do you mean?"

Takuro didn't get to answer my question because I had run out of chakra for me to support him. With a poof he was gone, and that left me in mid-air. I fell to the ground, but Gaara was still seeking some blood. He shot some sand at me and knocked me clear across the valley. I let out a cry as I coughed up my own blood. Luckily, Gaara paused from some sort of pain in his head. I got up, and ran away, behind the stump of the tree. I breathed heavily and my mind raced to think of a plan, for I knew that Gaara wasn't going to stand there for long. I had used up most of my chakra healing myself, and now I was wounded, and unable to defend myself any longer. And then Gaara's sand snuck out from behind the tree and came towards me. I ran away,frantically trying to escape. Growing tired, my knees buckled and I fell to the ground. I turned around just in time to see a lethal clump of sand coming my way.

_...to be continued._


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: **Wow, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize this wasn't up. (Sorry, readers!)

**Sarafu versus Gaara Part 3**

During the few seconds before I was hit with the sand, I had a weird revelation. That dying would totally suck right now, and I wasn't alright with dying at the hands(or sand in this case) of the guy I had a crush on. I had the sudden zeal to live and totally kick Gaara's ass. His whole psychotic killer phase was beginning to irritate me, and I wanted him to hurt. I felt all this within the three seconds, before I was hit, and had come to terms with myself. Whether I live or not, I was still going to be a freak dragon girl, and I might as well make use of the thing.

As sand and body collided, I underwent a transformation. Similar, yet different, from before. I could feel the mass power flowing through my veins and the wings grow out of my back. I felt carnivorous and animal-like. I felt the thrill of battle, and smiled as I was shoved back by the force of the sand. I flapped my enormous wings to stop my fast falling. I hovered in mid-air for a minute, just before I formed hand seals so fast, they were a blur and said, "Armor of Scales!!"

Silver-white scales grew all over my body, and my hair grew long and white. My hands turned into claws as so did my teeth become fangs. I pressed my wings against the air and flew at Gaara. My speed had drastically increased, and I was near him before you could even take a breath. I punched him in the face and his sand was just now catching up to me. Before he could hit the either side of the valley wall, I was behind him and I kneed him in the back. He went up as I followed him. I punched him left, threw him right, kicked him down, and then caught him square in the back with yet another punch. There was no point to me having the armor. His sand couldn't even catch up to my speed. After I got finished knocking him around for a couple of seconds, I did something that even I didn't know I could do. I formed all the chakra into my hand until it was shining brightly with a pale white. Then I screamed, "Moon Beam!" as I shot the thing with all my energy towards Gaara. Of course, he tried to block with his sand, but do you really think he could protect himself against that powerful of an attack?

After the smoke had cleared away, I found Gaara laying there on the ground, nicely crisp. I slowly fell to the ground, and walked over to him. As I stood over him, I gazed at his pain stricken face. Something inside me was angered extremely by this, and I punched him in the stomach. Sand flew off his body and into the air. Blood spat out of his mouth and onto my face. "I won," I whispered with such ferocity. "Now stay down like a good boy." And with that, Gaara passed out.

Shigame-sensei, weary of me, stepped up to Gaara's eerily still body. She checked him and then said, "Winner: Kichino Sarafu." The crowd roared as I reverted back to my human form. My hair stayed the same length though. But strangely, I was calm, and wasn't bothered at all that I had nearly killed the guy. I smiled triumphantly, and helped Shigame-sensei carry Gaara to the Medical ninjas. I then went up the stairs to my seat and passed Orochimaru on the way. He gave me a knowing smile, and I smiled back at him evilly, which surprised him.

Heh. You just wait Orochimaru. You're next.

As I passed Gai-sensei, I gave him the "nice guy" pose and said, "The training really worked, huh?" He was stunned for a few minutes and then posed back at me with a shining smile. I sat down next to Hinako and Jin, as they looked at me strangely.

"It's alright now," I said. "I've come to terms."

The gave me a questioning look, but I just sighed and walked over to the infirmary to wait by Gaara's side.

_...to be continued._


	30. Chapter 31

**First Double Date!**

I waited outside the door of Gaara's room until the medical ninjas said it was alright for me to enter. When I went in there, he was still asleep, so I went back to Hinako to see what was the news about the next round of battles. When I came back Gaara was already awake. "Ah!," I smiled warmly as I sat on the chair next to his bed. "You're quite the sleeper."

I was surprised by the look on his face. It was that of sheer terror. "I w-was...asleep?"

"Well, you weren't completely asleep. You kinda went in and out, you know? It was more like a deep daydream. But nevermind about that. How do you feel?"

"Well enough."

I smiled bitterly. "That's good. Sorry for nearly killing you and all. It seems we both have sides that we don't like to show. I just got a little excited, that's all."

"You were covered in scales."

I started for a second. "Yeah. Some day, I'll tell you about that, but not now. I don't trust you enough. One Day. But in the meantime, you better start thinking of where you wanna take me on our first date. I won the bet, remember?"

Gaara frowned. "Don't remind me of unpleasant memories."

I giggled. "Oh, come on. It isn't that bad. You'll see. You'll love it. You don't have a choice. You better hurry up with that thinking, though, we only have one day left."

"Huh? How long was I out?"

"Oh, only a couple of minutes. The Raikage declared the first Round over, and now we have a free day of rest. The Second round won't start until Thursday. And also, yesterday was Valentine's Day." I gave him a look worthy of Mr. Kyo.

It frightened him. "What do you have in mind?"

My smile broadened. "A double date!"

Gaara seemed stunned for a bit. "W-With who?!"

"Neji and Hinako, of course! Who else? What'd you think I'd do? Invite Orochimaru along? I'm sure he'd enjoy it, but his fatherly instincts-if he has any-might get in between us." At that note I scooted closer to him. Placing my head on my hand.

This caused Gaara to scoot even farther away from me. "I'm not liking this."

"It doesn't matter," I said, gripping his arm tightly, with inhuman strength, "You have no choice! Now, come!" I pulled his arm and dragged him along with me.

We arrived outside of the valley and were transported by Shigame-sensei, down the mountain, through a tunnel that was a lot faster than any other route. It was very dark inside, but Gaara made sure to keep Shigame-sensei in between us at all times. When we finally got out of the mountain range, I led Gaara to a restraunt just on the edge of town. Inisde, Neji and Hinako were already waiting for us; Neji, quietly smoldering, and Hinako grinning brightly. I let Gaara sit down as me and Hinako high-fived and declared, "Mission: Capture the Hotties, SUCCESS!" Both Neji and Gaara gave a sigh.

We ate dinner, (it was 5 o'clock when the first Round finished.) and congratulated ourselves, declraing that girls were better than men, with a toast. Neji seemed to want to go somewhere else, while Gaara was resisting the urge to kill us all. After that, we decided to go out and enjoy the nightlife. We watched a movie about a young boy fighting against his evil aunt who forced all the innocent people to eat their vegetables. Sadly, I was the only one that cried, which gave Hinako and Neji something in common: they both thought I was an idiot.

After I had dried up my tears, I was on a sugar craze, so we looked around all the sweets shops. I ate tons of pastries, chocolates, truffles, and cakes, and we can say that I got a bit-what's the word-drunk. (Off of chocolates, yes, I know.) At first, I just laughed at everything and danced down the road, but then, I began to tickle the locals till they were sobbing for mercy. After some restraint from Neji and Hinako, I settled down, but my mischevieous spirit hadn't died down yet. I soon started dancing with random people. I tried to dance with Gaara, but he smacked me off. But that wasn't the worst. Not only had I become drunk, but the Moon Dragon, who shares, my body, was drunk as well, so its chakra was out of whack. Out of no where, the Moon Dragon's chakra would strike, like lightening, at a random booth, or building and explode it. Gaara tried to conceal me with his sand, but my chakra would come out through my face-which Gaara couldn't cover, unless he wanted to suffocate me, which was becoming a possibility. As Hinako and Neji tried to restrain me, Gaara growled, "I blame this on you, Neji, you were the one who gave her those triple chocolate truffles. That must've been the cause of it!"

Neji started in alarm. "It wasn't my fault! Hinako was the one who suggested it!"

"AH!," Hinako gasped. "How was I supposed to know she'd get drunk off of sugar? Well, that settles it. For her bachelorette party, she is NOT going to drink!"

Gaara became flustered. "What makes you think she'll have a bachelorette party?"

"Sarafu? It's only a matter of time before she gets hitched. I mean, look at the girl. Getting drunk off of candy isn't a safe thing. The girl's so siple-minded and care-free she's an easy target."

With this comment, everyone became quiet, except me of course, in my drunken ranting had begun to sing.

"Agh! Someone hurry and shut her up!" Hinako yelled as she covered her ears.

"Well, when Lee got drunk-" Neji started.

"Lee got drunk?" Hinako interrupted.

"It's a long story, but the point I'm trying to make is, that to settle him down we had make Gai-sensei lead him into a trap. And then he just fell asleep."

"So what do you suggest we do?"

"We have Gaara lead her into a secluded area, and then block all exits with a chakra barrier. After a while, she'll exhaust herself out, and pass out."

"Why does it have to be me?" Gaara seemed a bit annoyed by this.

"You're the person she likes the most, and you can protect yourself with the sand while you're in there. Strangely enough, she's more powerful in her drunken state because she can't control her powers. She could probably kill us all. So, you have to go."

Eventually, Gaara gave in, and he began to walk away. I noticed this and shouted, "Hey, honey! Where ya' goin'?! Come back, sweetie!" I began to follow him in my drunken stupor. After a while, I found us in a clearing of trees, and just before I could react, green and white walls of chakra surrounded us.

"Wha's dis?" I stumbled.

"Sarafu."

I blushed at the sound of Gaara calling my name. I went up to him and put my finger to his lips. "Hush, now. This isn't a time for words. I know what you want to say. All I need to tell you is. . .GIMME A PIGGY-BACK RIDE!!"

Gaara's mouth fell open. "W-Why do I have to do that? I don't want to!"

"Too bad!" I had already hopped on his back, and was clasped onto him securely with my legs. I wrapped my arm around his neck and fell asleep to the beating of his heart.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I woke up the next day, I had a terrible stomach-, tooth-, and headache. I looked around and saw myself in a small apartment room. Hinako was in the kitchen and she came to me with a glass of orange juice. I took it, gratefully, and chugged it down. Trying not to talk too loud, I asked Hinako what had happened.

"You got drunk off of sweets."

"Really? That's never happened before."

"That's because everytime you had any sugared item, Jin would steal it from you."

"Oh, yeah. But did I do anything...bad?"

"Oh, yes, I couldn't pull you two apart!"

My face grew bright red as I thought of all the things she could mean by that statement.

Hinako laughed at my embarassment. "That's not what I mean! Get your mind out of the gutter! You wanted a piggy-back ride from Gaara, so you latched onto him and fell asleep. Even though you were snoring, we couldn't pry your arms apart to free him. So he had to stay with you most of the night, until you finally let go. In fact, you were mostly childish the whole time you were drunk. It was quite funny to watch you."

I put my head down in shame. _I acted that silly? Gaara must think I'm such a loser now! Getting drunk on our first date. . .oh, Kami-sama, I'm so embarassed. I don't know how I'll face him._

Looking at my face, Hinako said, "Why don't you go talk to him, if you're not feeling too bad? He has been asking about your health all night. I'm sure he would love to talk to you."

My face lit up. "Really?"

Hinaok smiled and nodded.

I jumped up in excitement and forgot all about my pains and rushed out the door. While I was out, Hinako gave a great sigh. "Ugh! Finally! I didn't know how much longer I could hold out with all that smiling! At least she's out of here. Gaara's gonna be angry at me for sending her back, but whatever."

I ran outside and, luckily, found Temari. I inquired as to where Gaara was located, and she pointed me out towards the valley._ Ugh! Why do I have to go all the way out there? Can't the guy just be sitting right out my door. I'm going to give him a smacking for this!_ I formed the seals, and did my flying jutsu. Silver wings grew out of my back as I launched off into the air. I arrived at the valley and found Gaara sitting on a rock, located on the battle ground of the valley's grass. He didn't look over at me as I landed on the ground and undid my jutsu. I walked over to him nervously, and called out with a small voice. "Gaara?"

He looked at me and then back off into the distance. "What?"

"Umm...good morning?"

"Is that all?"

"No. I would like to apologize for my, obviously odd"-I blushed at this-"behavior. I don't remember exactly what I did, but if I did anything to offend you, I'm sorry."

"Yeah. You were such a hassle."

My eyebrow twitched. I may love the dude, but he was fueling my temper. I tried to suppress it with a smile. "I...I see. Well, we still have one day left of break. Why are you out here?"

"Because it's quiet."

"I see." Actually, I didn't. "On our next date, I'll tell. And I expect you to tell me too. Till then." I waved and walked away, just before I redid my jutsu and flew off.

_...to be continued._


	31. Chapter 32

**A/N: **I brought you two more chapters today, even though I said they would be weekly. See it as a special gift from me to you. '

**2nd Round: Rock Lee versus Orochimaru**

I walked into the valley with Mr. Kyo and the others. The 2nd round of the Third Exam was about to begin and everyone was grim. I didn't even notice Orochimaru when I walked past him on the way to our seats. My mind was on other matters. Just before entering the valley, there was a bulletin board with the list of the next matches, and the very last two to battle would be Hinako and I. After seeing this, our spirits dropped, well, except Hinako. She kept her poker face the whole way.

_She probably isn't bothered by it at all_, I thought glumly to myself. _I know she wouldn't have any problem fighting against me. This would make it our second time. But, I'm not sure how I'd beat her this time. My Insanity technique definitly won't work. She's already seen how Gaara defeated it. This is bad. I've already shown all my best techniques. I even summoned all my demons to fight him. I didn't think this far ahead. Besides that, I don't know what else Hinako might have up her sleeve. Well, there's nothing more for me to think about. I'm just going to have to wing it. Besides, Lee's battle is coming up, and I doubt its going to be pretty._

We all seated ourselves in the same spots we were in previously, and each stared off at some distant void, their minds elsewhere. I heard a scream and flicked around to see Mr. Kyo squealing like a giddy schoolgirl. He leapt out of his seat and straight towards...Gaara! "Mr. Kyo...why are squealing?" Hinako asked, vexed. He was circling Gaara. His eyes large and watery and a smile spread across his face. "Those eyes, that silky, crimson hair, that gorgeous leather jacket," Mr. Kyo sighed. "And the gourd! This boy is...almost as beautiful as me."

I thunked him on the head. "GET AWAY FROM HIM, YOU GAY!"

He smacked into the floor and rolled around, crying. "Oh! Sarafu! How could you be so cruel! And here I was admiring your boyfriend!"

My face lit up. "H-he's n-not my...b-b-boyfriend! Well, he kinda is...but that's not the point!" I kicked him, while he was rolling around on the floor.

Gaara didn't seem at all bothered by this. I was completely embarassed. _Damn you, Mr. Kyo! Although he is my boyfriend, it still sounds embarassing out in the open! _

Gaara walked up to me and said, "I came here to tell you something."

I blushed even more in my bliss. "W-what?"

He looked at the others and then said, "Not here. Let's go somewhere else."

I nodded and then followed him. He stopped just a little ways away from where we were. Just enough to be out of ear-shot of everyone else. "Sarafu."

I started at the sound of my name. "Y-Yes?"

"You're going to lose to Hinako."

My heart felt like lead. "What a thing to say. What makes you so sure?"

"I could tell from the way you looked before. You, foolishly, used all your obviously best techniques in your battle with me. Hinako is also an Uchiha, and has been watching your battles with her sharingan the whole time. She knows you, and is much more powerful. And besides...", his face became very dark, "if you do win this fight. . .you'll be paired up with Orochimaru next."

My heart stopped. I would? There was no way I could fight this guy. I may have been ill the first time I fought him, but I could tell he was strong. And from the looks of his battle with Temari, he's only just started. And the very fact that Gaara's trying to warn me j- Wait! I looked at Gaara slyly. "So, you're telling me this means you are worried about me?"

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm just informing you, because you're so dense. And Orochimaru won't hesitate to kill you."

I smiled. "Heh. That's where you're wrong, Gaara. He won't kill me. And I've been looking forward to fighting him. I've got a little message I need to convey to him. And for that reason, I cannot lose to Hinako. Thanks for the concern, Gaara, but this idiot's gonna give it all she's got. Even if she has to make up new jutsus."

Gaara stared at me. His face was blank, but there was something in his eyes that made me smile even more.

"Now," I wrapped my arms around him, "let's watch this fight together! Won't it be romantic?"

He shoved me off with his sand. "Get off of me."

"Aw, come on. We all know you enjoyed that."

"Like I said, 'don't get your hopes up'."

"Well, then, can you at least sit next to me?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I prefer to stand."

I pouted. "You know what, sandman? You're just difficult. But I'm enduring!"

He sighed. "Whatever."

We stood there in our spot, looking down at the valley grass. The next battle was about to start. Shigame-sensei walked into the middle of the arena, as the crowd buzzed louder in their excitement. "SHUT UP!" She yelled. "Round Two is about to begin! Would Rock Lee and Orochimaru please come to the arena."

After a few minutes, Lee was standing face-to-face with Orochimaru. He had a serious frown on his face. He knew his opponent. While, on the other hand, Orochimaru looked confident and bored. "First match: Rock Lee versus Orochimaru...BEGIN!"

Lee stood good distance away from Orochimaru, who surprisingly made the first move. He opened his mouth and a multitude of snakes lunged towards Lee. He leapt out of the way continuously as Orochimaru attacked him constantly with snakes that would appear out of all parts of his body.

_That has to be uncomfortable to keep in there. I bet they wriggle._

Finally, Lee, disappeared in mid-dodge and appeared again in front of Orochimaru. He made to kick him, but Orochimaru swung to the side. Now, Lee was on the assualt, but no one seemed to get hit. I looked over at Gai who was standing next Hinako. He was praying desperately. So he knows the strength of Lee's opponent, also. I'm sure he would have made Lee quit, if it wasn't for his "dream". I looked back over at Lee, who now had a kunai and was slicing at Orochimaru like it meant his life. He was scared. Orochimaru easily maneuvered around all of Lee's attacks, even occasionally striking him with a snake. Finally, Lee jumped back and unwrapped his bandages around his arm. "He's going to use that!" I gasped. "And so soon!" Gaara had no comment, but continued to stare at the battle with intensity.

Once Lee was finished, he, again, appeared in front of Orochimaru, but this time, managed to kick him into the air. His bandages wrapped around Orochimaru. But snakes appeared around Orochimaru and the bit the bandages so he was free. But since Lee was in the air, he spun around and sliced him with a kunai. Lee yelled from the pain and fell to the ground, bleeding. He quickly got up to defend against Orochimaru's next attaxk, with sliced his arm open. This time, he ran away to recover. He held his arm where blood was slowly creeping out, staining his bandages. Orochimaru smiled. Lee had a worried expression on his face.

_Well, its no wonder. How's he going to win this one? Lee is a close combat fighter, and Orochimaru can do both. Orochimaru is, more than likely, going to attack from a distance. He's already read Lee completely. He can predict Lee's every movement. I think he got hit by Lee's kick, on purpose, just to raise our hopes. Come on, Lee. Do something random._

Lee looked over at Gai, who in turn smiled at him with a "thumbs up". Lee smiled back and stood up straight, as though nothing ever happened. He motioned for Orochimaru to make the first move, which he did, sprawling at Lee with liquid movements, that seemed to flow through the air. He then shot his head-his neck growing longer-towards Lee, biting him on the neck. Lee screamed in pain and shook off his head and jumped back. Lee staggered backward. Orochimaru shot out his tongue as it wrapped around Lee. _Gross._ With his mouth open, Orochimaru walked over to Lee, kunai in hand. My heart began to skip faster. He isn't gonna- Orochimaru held out the kunai, ready to strike. He moved his arm back, and then inevitably swung forward. I shut my eyes in fear.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The scream rang out all through the valley. It was silent as all eyes turned towards me. I realized that tears had begun to swell in my eyes. I gazed, dismayed, at the figure of the still Orochimaru. He turned around and smiled at me sardonically. With a great relief, I saw that the kunai had stopped, just inches from Lee's neck. Orochimaru looked piercingly towards me with his golden eyes. He seemed to be reading my mind. Then, with a sigh, he knocked Lee across the head, knocking him unconcious. With that, he pulled his tongue back into his mouth as Lee fell to the ground. There was a soft cheer as Shigame-sensei walked over to Lee with medical ninjas. While they examined him, Shigame-sensei declared Orochimaru the winner. The crowd cheered. Well, all of those who didn't know who he really was.

Orochimaru walked back up to his seat, which was near Gaara and I. As he brushed passed me he said, "Did you like that little favor I did for you?"

"Aren't you the lovely parent? You're just gonna wish I do the same thing to you when we battle."

"That's if you make it there."

"Don't worry. I will. We need to have a little father-daughter chat." With that I pounded my fist into my hand and looked at him threateningly.

He just chuckled, amused by my anger. He then sat down. Gaara's eyes followed him the whole way. Once Orochimaru was safely seated away from us, he inquired, "'Father-daughter chat?'"

I started. I had completely forgotten that Gaara was there, and thus made the slip. "Well...it's one of those things I'll tell you on our next date. Don't let it bother you."

He didn't answer. I expected him to leave me by now, but he made no motion.

_...to be continued._


	32. Chapter 33

**TenTen versus Guru**

I stood and watched as the proud ninja girl stepped into the valley's cool grass. I silently cheered for her. Then, Guru came and seemed to disrupt my lovely picture I was just enjoying. _Ugh! I hope this guys loses. _I noticed the contrast between the two characters. TenTen's back was straight and her clothes were of bright colors, causing her to resemble a flower. Guru, however, was so pale and dark agaisnt the wave of grass. He was like oil, thick and disgusting, especially the smirk on his face. Shigame-sensei held her hand up in the air to signal silence. "2nd Match: TenTen versus Guru, BEGIN!"

With that, TenTen immeadiately leapt into the air and began to attack Guru with a bombardement of shurikens, who dodged them with ease. When TenTen paused for a moment, Guru dashed toward her with a sword, which was hidden beneath his jacket. TenTen just barely reacted in time to move back a hair's breadth from the sharp edge of the blade. Then, she quickly whipped out a scroll and opened it. Out came a long pole, with which she held in her hands professionally. She twirled it across her fingers with fluid movements. Then she held it firmly in her hand, ready for anything. Guru laughed at her expression. "Hahahahaha! You think that puny thing will stop my blade! Well, lets see how long you'll last."

He ran towards the young ninja girl slashing fiercely with his sword. TenTen blocked all of his attacks with her wooden pole. How's that possible? As I looked closer, I saw a seal on the pole. "Ah! I get it now," I expressed my thoughts aloud. "I wonder what kind of seal that is." The battle dragged on. TenTen didn't give Guru any openings and neither did he. There seemed to be no turning point, and I think Guru realized this, too, because he released a poisonous gas from within his jacket. TenTen gasped, just before covering her mouth. She leapt out of the cloud of toxins, just as Guru was there, waiting for her. She tried to turn around in mid leap, but Guru had already hit her in the shoulder with a kunai. She screamed from the pain, and landed on the ground, which only dirtied her wound. She quickly got up and coughed.

_Oh no! She must have inhaled some of the gas!_

Guru chuckled and ran toward her, mouth open. Her eyes widened in fear. She quickly put her pole in the way, and Guru's face smacked right into it. It was kind of funny looking, actually. I couldn't help, but giggle at him. TenTen then took this oppurtunity to smack Guru, again, with her pole and she shoved it into his side. The greasy man coughed as the full force hit him. He was in trouble. TenTen had regained her calm. He growled as he took out his sword to block her next attack. But this time, TenTen seemed to be more ferocious in her attacks. She gave harder blows, and even tripped him with her feet, a couple of times.

_She must be getting desperate_, I thought. _She wants to end this now, but, although I hate to say this, Guru is smarter than he looks. He'll surely use this to his advantage._

Sure enough, he suddenly disappeared from the middle of a deadlock with TenTen. She searched, but to no avail, as he appeared behind her, forming hand seals. Just as TenTen realized, he said, "Ninpou, Endless Pit!" There was an earthquake as the ground began to give way underneath TenTen. A vortex, it seemed, appeared in the ground, and it sucked everything into it. TenTen was being pulled in it, just before she shoved her stick into the ground and held onto it tightly. I even felt the pull of the vortex as I grabbed onto one of the makeshift chairs in the stadium. Gaara had latched himself onto the ground with his sand. I looked over at my teammates with worry. Luckily, Hinako had covered their legs with ice, as they were stuck to the floor. Unfortunatly, some people on the first row, were sucked into the vortex.

As its suction intensely grew, TenTen was soon lifted off the ground and the only thing holding her in place was her desperately tight grip on her pole. Even I, who was in the last of the rows, could feel the force as my grip on the chair began to slacken. My hands were slipping as my legs were lifted into the air. My heart began to beat so fast that I could feel the throb in my ears.

_No! I won't be able to hold on much longer. My fingers are slipping! I'm gonna get sucked in._

And with my last heart beat, my fingers slipped off the edge of the chair as I flew backward inot the vortex. In that moment of time, my heart didn't beat for a second. I knew I was going to die. But, luckily, I was wrong. I stopped as my neck whiplashed and my breath was knocked out of me. Around my waist was an arm of sand. I looked up at my savior with teary eyes.

_Gaara. I hate to say this, but I owe you one._

I heard a familiar scream and turned my head around. TenTen, being so close to the vortex, could hold on no longer. She had let go and was flying into the growing hole in the ground, but there was no one to save her. As she was sucked into the ground, it closed and the suction, also stopped. Guru fell to the ground in exhaustion. As gravity pulled me back to the ground, the sand released me, but I wasn't paying attention to that. TenTen had been sucked into who knows where.

"TENTEN!" Gai-sensei ran down towards the field where the was an unnatural dip from where the vortex had been. The rest of Gai-sensei's team followed, as well as my teammates and I. Shigame-sensei was standing out in the middle of the field with an uncertain look on her face. I ran up to Guru and kicked him. "WHERE THE HELL IS SHE, YOU BASTARD!" Mr. Kyo pulled me back.

Although he was bent over, Guru still laughed. "Who knows? She could be anywhere in the unvierse, right now. Probably not even this dimension." The was a heavy silence as the shock weighed on everyone. Mr. Kyo slackened his grip on me, but I made no move. TenTen was gone? And there was probably no way of getting her back. Gai-sensei fell to his knees and cried. Lee was beside him. This was the worst defeat anyone had ever received so far, in the Chuunin Exam. Shigame-sensei stood back and without much energy in her voice said, "Winner: Guru."

There was no cheer, this time, from the crowd. TenTen wasn't the only one who had been sucked into the vortex Guru had created. Many of the audience was gone too, and it felt strangely empty now, as the crowd was thinned out.

_...to be continued._


	33. Chapter 34

**Third Exam Cut Short. Goodbye, Sarafu.**

The disappearence of TenTen caused the Third Exam to be cut short, or more precisely, Hinako's and my battle. I was relieved, but also disappointed. I really did want to see if I could beat Hinako. However, I didn't see a relieved expression on Hinako's face.

"You got lucky, Sarafu" She teased. "You would have died today, if it wasn't for this disturbance."

"How can you call TenTen's disappearance a 'disturbance'?!"

"Well, it is disturbing, isn't it? You can't say everyone is tranquil right now, can you?"

"Well, no, but..."

"It doesn't matter. Its a day off, so I'm going to go hang out, and I don't want you to bother me."

I glared at her. "EXCUSE ME FOR MY EXSISTENCE!!!"

"Its not just that. If you're too close you're idiocy might rub off on me."

A vein popped out of my forehead as I clenched my fists. This girl was asking for it.

"Well, I can't say this was a fun meeting, but later." And with that, she walked off, but not before she mumbled, "But I really wonder why they're making such a big deal about this." Sadly enough, I had to agree with her.

This was almost equivilant to TenTen being dead. It really isn't a reason to stop the whole exam for an entire day. There's something more. Maybe its the fact that it even happened to her. Shigame-sensei did seem to be staring at Guru a lot. But maybe its not Guru himself, but someone on his team. I'm going to get to the bottom of this.

I set off to find Orochimaru, which wasn't hard. All I had to do was find a secluded area, where I was sure no one would sense us. I walked in the mountain range of volcanoes where the heat was dangerously high. With the right movements, I could easily strike a fire here. So, then I could summon my Fire Demon, if the need ever called. I scowled. And there would be a need.

Orochimaru was standing there waiting for me. When I arrived, he playfully said, "Oh well. It seemes my time here has been cut short, so we need to make things quick."

I took out a kunai. "Yes, we do."

He laughed. "Oh, its a fight you want? I would love to rip you to shreads right now, my child, but I'm afraid, I need you alive. Well, for a while at least. You're no use to me dead."

I put the kunai to my neck. "In that case, I'll just kill myself right now. I'm gonna say it now. Orochimaru, I have no intentions to go with you."

He chuckled. "You're going to commit suicide just so I can't get what I want? My, my! Kids are so rebellious, these days. But what if I told you a little secret."

I dropped my kunai slightly. "What would that be?"

"I know the location of your mother."

My heart stopped. Mom? He knows where Mom is? I jerked myself out of my daydream. "Yeah right! Like I'd believe something like that! Do you have any proof?!

There's no way I'd believe what you'd say!"

"Believe me or not, but if you don't come, you'll never know whether I have her or not."

I scowled. He is trying to peak my curiosity. But if I go with him, I could find my mother. Even if she isn't there, I could always try to run away. Orochimaru said he needs me alive, so I could just threaten to kill myself. I'm sure I could do it. My hand fell to my side and I put the kunai back into my pocket.

Orochimaru smiled knowlingly. "I'll give you some time. If you really want to come with me, then meet me at the edge of town tonight."

"Wait!" I yelled. "What is going on? Why must you leave tonight? The Raikage and Hokage have been acting all weird lately. What exactly did you do? And the fact that Tsunade-sama has let you live this long is surprising enough."

"I see. So you know about what I did in Konoha. Well, lets say threats are easy ways to get what you want. We are old friends, after all." And with that, he disappeared into a whisp of smoke. I stood there for a couple of minutes, thinking everything over. The kages and Orochimaru must have come to an agreement not kill anybody during the Chuunin Exam, but that was sort of broken when Guru sent TenTen to another world, or wherever she is. But what could he threaten Tsunade-sama with?

All the thinking was starting to hurt my head, so I didn't prosecute the matter and left the mountain range, by the time I arrived at the town, it was already setting, and that was with flying. I only had a little time left to prepare. I had already decided to go with Orochimaru. Even if I had refused, something tells me that he would have kidnapped me anyway. I went over to Hinako's apartment she had rented and was lucky to find it empty. There, I wrote a note saying:

_I'm going to be gone for a little while. Don't try to look for me, you won't be able to find me. Oh, and take care of the brat for me, ok?_

_Love,_

_Sarafu_

I was even crude enough to put a little smiley face at the end. I smiled bitterly as I lay the note on the counter. I grabbed some of my things from Hinako's room, and went to go see Gaara. I would miss him the most. Unfortunately, I couldn't find him or any of his teammates. And here I was expecting to go on another date with him. I hope he won't hate me for leaving without saying good-bye. I don't plan on staying away for too long anyway. I perked up and began my trek to the other side of the town, where I found Orochimaru and his teammates waiting. They all smirked as I walked up to Orochimaru, who chuckled.

"I see. So you have it, too. The same look on your eyes. You desire power, don't you, my daughter?"

I stepped back. "I am _not_ your daughter. And if I desire power, its to rip your heart out, if you have one."

"Such cold words. You're just like your mother."

"SHUT UP!! Can we just leave now? I'd like to make this as quick as possible."

Guru laughed. "No, you don't."

I glared at him and then followed Orochimaru, to who knows where. I can't say I wasn't afraid. This was probably the most stupid decision I've ever made in my entire life, but my life hasn't been much, has it?

_...to be continued._


	34. Chapter 35

**Family Reunion**

I traveled with Orochimaru and his subordinates for about two days, before we reached our destination. Orochimaru asked me to fly us on a fast dragon, which I applied to his wishes, but only because I wanted to leave quickly, also. We arrived in a forest on a mountain range (man, I was getting really tired of all the mountains) in a moderately sized, dilapidated building. But, Guru and Pakuno didn't follow us in. Apparantely, they weren't allowed. I felt uneasy as Orochimaru led me inside the dark building. I couldn't see, but I could hear. There were squishy, bubbling sounds, and the sound of someone's breath. As we reached the end of wherever we were, I saw a faint light coming from torches that were placed on the pillars around us. I saw, there, a young man with white hair and glasses. He looked like a total dork. "Welcome, Sarafu-sama," he said as he bowed his head.

_-sama?_

"Sarafu-sama?" I heard a deep voice say from the shadows as a young boy stepped out. I don't know whether it was his tired looking face or the scars on him, but something about this boy made me feel extreme pity. He had short, dark blue hair and deep black eyes. You could just barely see that he had once been handsome, but the dark scowl on his face hid all beautiful face features.

"Sasuke," Orochimaru smiled. "Are you jealous? Afraid that I have chosen a new body?"

The one named Sasuke just kintted his eyebrows. "Ch!"

I crossed my arms. I was feeling cold. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up. My animal intuition was telling me to get the hell out of there. But there wasn't anyway for me to just leave. I was in Orochimaru's grasp now. I turned on him. "Stop your fooling around! Show me to my mother, like you promised!"

He bowed his head mockingly. "Of course, my beloved daughter. I just can't wait to see your face when we have our sweet family reunion!"

I had a great urge to spit in his face, but I knew that would get me nowhere. Orochimaru led me into another room, but this one was lit up more than the previous one. I found out that this light came from glowing tubes lined in rows along the walls. The tubes were filled with strange green liquid, and something else: bodies. They had masks and wires all around them, that I couldn't tell whether they were living or dead.

"W-Wha...What are these?"

"Oh, just little experiments I've been doing in my spare time. You're mother is on the very end."

My blood boiled. "Is she an experiment, too?"

"Oh, no. That was the only way to contain her. She likes to revert to her 'other' form."

I glared at him just before proceeding down the hall, making sure not to look to the side. When I reached the end of the room, I looked up at one of the green tubes. Inside there, was a thin, young woman with long white hair. Since she was naked, you could see the ribs and all the bones in her body. She literally seemed skin and bones. I screamed as I fell backward. My eyes were large and tears streamed my face. "W-wha...mmm...sh-she's..."

"Yes, well. We couldn't exactly take care of her with her Dragon form coming out all the time. I kept her alive, though. Just for you. Just so we could all come back together, as a family."

My shaking hands closed into fists. My open mouth closed into gritting teeth. My wide eyes grew small as I glared. I could feel the Dragon blood in me pumping through my veins. "What have you done to her?!" My power began to rise as white chakra lashed out from my body and even broke open one tube.

Orochimaru made no movement.

"You!!" I turned on him as fangs began to grow back into my teeth. I could feel the glowing blue from my eyes as they changed color. Wings ripped out of my back as my blood spattered everywhere, and even burned Sasuke, who had gotten in the way. I roared. "YOU!!! YOU DESTROYED HER SMILE!!! I'M GOING TO EAT YOU!!!" I charged at Orochimaru with my growing claws, he simply restrained me with massive anacondas that slithered out from his sleeve. I roared again, as my hair grew longer.

The white-haired dork seemed startled by my appearance. "I see. So she's not like the other monsters."

Orochimaru turned to the dark-haired boy. "Sasuke, I would like for you to fight this girl. And use you're Sharingan." Sasuke looked at him just before his eyes turned red.

What was he planning to do? Why did he tell him to use the Sharingan? Then I remembered all of my encounters with Hinako. He means to steal my techniques!! I calmed down as my eyes reverted back to their original gold, and my fangs and claws disappeared. I kept my wings out though. I stepped back a little.

So this is why Orochimaru wanted me alive. Mother is obviously too weak for him to seep anything out of, and you can't steal techniques from a dead person. I need to get out of here somehow. I bit my thumb and summoned Takuro. His large body broke open the building. I hopped on him, but was welcomed by a trail of flame. I just barely escaped with singed elbows. I looked to my left and saw that Sasuke wasn't going to let me get away so easily. I, then ordered Takuro to fill the place full of water. Orochimaru made his own little bubble, as the Sasuke and the white-haired dork just stood on top. Once I had jumped onto Takuro's back, he tried to fly off, but a snake was wrapped around his wings, folding them closed. I looked over to find Sasuke with his hand on the rim of the water.

_So, he summoned the snake. Looks like I'll have to get away myself._ I flapped my silver wings as I launched into the air. Sasuke fire balls at me, and I dodged them all, but with great strain. My wings were taking up more space than I was used to. I was going to get hit, eventually. So I formed some hand seals and said, "Sky technique, Light Rays!" I opened my mouth and shot out a bright beam of light toward Sasuke. But he had formed the hand seals at the same time, and had countered my beam with his own. I cut mine off as I flew to the side.

_It's no use! No matter what I do, he'll just do the same thing back at me. There's no way for me to escape. I couldn't even hide in Mirage of the Moons. Looks like I'll have to do something he can't copy._

I landed on a tree and began the long procedure of forming hand seals. Sasuke took no time to wait, but shot his beam out at me. I blocked it with my wings, which aren't invincible, so they were torn up. I gritted my teeth from the pain, but continued on. When I had finally finished, I whipped out a scroll and opened it up. "Kuchiyose no jutsu! Twin Dragon Swords!" With a great explosion, the swords appeared and I grasped them firmly. I had summoned Life and Death. Orochimaru smiled. I had a feeling I was playing right into his hands, but there was no way Sasuke could do this, even if he used his sharingan.

I shot down towards Sasuke and sliced with Death. He dodged and shot a fireball out at me. I deflected it with Life and pheonixes formed from the flames and attacked Sasuke. He fought them off with a kunai. Since they were made of fire, they did not disperse, until he froze them with an ice technique. By then, I was already by his side with my sword and attacking him with Death. He dodged each one, and tried to block one with a kunai, which just crumbled into ashes. When he leapt farther away, I shoved Life into the ground and the limbs of trees would snap at him, and one of them even wrapped around his leg. He cut it with a knife and used another fire technique to burn my trees. I scowled.

_If he keeps using that annoying Fire jutsu, I won't get anywhere. I need to figure out some way for him to not use it. But how?_

I ran towards Sasuke and waved Life in the air, yelling "Ice!" Ice grew from the water vapor in the air and shot towards Sasuke, who in turn blocked most of them with balls of flame. I growled. If he shoots out another fireball, I'm going burn _him_! I rubbed Life and Death together to create a great wave of flame that shot off. It was unavoidable. Sasuke formed the same seals and shot out a continuous flow of flame to the oncoming wall of flame, thus causing a rift in my wave. Sasuke was the only thing that didn't get burned. He was really beginning to annoy me. I spun around in the air to create a tornado and kicked it off towards Sasuke. I kneeled down and formed some seals. I didn't see what jutsu he did, because my tornado was in the way, and had collided into him. When the wind finally died out, I found a large snake coiled up.

"AAARGH!!!" I yelled in frustration. "I'M GOING TO SHRED YOU INTO PIECES!!!"

I dashed towards him, enraged, and immeadiatly sliced the snake into shreds. It wasn't much of a threat, but while I was hacking the serpent in my anger, Sasuke was behind me and his hand was glowing. I gasped.

The whole time he must have been forming seals and prepareing for this!! He was purposely trying to irritate me so I would leave openings. I have to block it!

I lifted Life in the way, but not fast enough. "CHIDORI!!" Before I knew it, I had a hole in my chest, with Sasuke's arm in it. There was blood everywhere. My blood. Sasuke fell back in pain as steam arose from his burning. He let out a loud cry as he curled up on the ground. He had been hit, full-force, with my blood. He must've been in hell. I wasn't doing so swell, either. My knees had buckled and I was coughing up blood, which spilt onto the ground. I tried to use healing techniques to recover my wounds, but I wasn't a medical ninja. All I did was waste chakra. I shakily reached for Life, just as Orochimaru was coming my way.

_Crap! I need to get out of here now!_

I was only able to grab one of the bells, just before Takuro flew me away in his mouth. The last thing I remembered was the faint image of the one thing that gave me the will to go on, my mother's only smile.

_...to be continued._


	35. Chapter 36

**Lost Smiles**

When I woke up, I was lying on the ground, with my hand over my chest. The first thing I realized was the pain, and then what was in my hand. It was the golden bell from the hilt of Life. That woke me up. I shot up, ignoring the pain it caused.

"Life!" I looked around and found Takuro lying next to me in a coil. "You are well, Young One?" I gazed around at my surroundings and found us in a forest. Forest! I got up, but stumbled from my pain. Takuro used his soft tongue to push me back down, onto the pile of leaves, from which I had been sleeping on before. "Hush," he soothed me with his misty voice, "this is a different forest, on the edge of Wave Country. I've been keeping a sharp look-out, and it seems that Orochimaru isn't pursuing you."

I relaxed and let out long aheld breath. "You flew me that far? Thank you. I'm glad I summoned you."

The end of his lips curled up. "I'm just glad to help you. I have always been loyal to the Kichino bloodline."

I smiled faintly as I laid back down. I held the bell up to my face. The wounds from my battle with Sasuke had been healed by this, and now, all its magical properties were probably gone. Now it was just a plain bell. I shook it, but it made no sound. Now it was just a hollow shell of gold. I wonder if it was this that made me feel so. . .empty. I had a feeling that I was missing something very important, like I forgot something. I knitted my eyebrows as I scoured through the remnants of my memories, but didn't pick up anything unusual, except for one question that kept coming up.

"Takuro, why do I love Mother this much?"

He looked at me, nearly startled. "You should know the answer to that question. Have you forgotten?"

"I don't know. When I try to remember my childhood with her, all I can remember is her screaming, yelling, hitting. She abused me and hated me so much. So why have I been searching for her these past few years?"

Takuro stared at me quietly, his eyes watering. If you've ever seen a dragon cry, then you know that it is something that wrenches your heart.

It was beginning to scare me. "Takuro? The Twin Dragon Swords took something from my memory, didn't they? What did I forget? Takuro, tell me! What did I forget?"

"You're mother's one and only smile. The only one she ever showed you. The only one she ever showed anyone."

Water streamed down his emarald scales. Takuro's emotions were so powerful that they affected the Earth's weather, which is why he is also known as the Weather Dragon. It had begun to rain as I lay there, staring into the void. The news didn't affect me that much, because I couldn't even remember how lovely her smile was. How much I cherished it. The Twin Dragon Swords had stolen not just my memories, but my will. I had loved my mother so much, that it had kept me from entering the Otherworld. Now, I didn't know what to do with my life. As I looked through the remains of my past, all I saw was darkness and sorrow. How could I smile now? How could I continue with life, now that I have no purpose? My mother is dead-or soon would be-and nothing bound me to the living. I felt hollow. I turned to my side and stared off into oblivion.

I was bed ridden for two days because the golden bell hadn't fully healed my wound. Takuro stayed at my side the entire time. I was grateful to him, but regretted everything I had ever done. My life seemed so pointless. Even all the days I spent with Hinako, Jin, Mr. Kyo, and even Gaara. I cried without really crying. I wouldn't be sad, but tears would still fall from my face.

Why? Why does my body mourn for which my soul has lost? Now what should I do? If I die, will anyone be affected? Will anyone mourn my death? Will anyone feel as lifeless as I do now?

I rolled over to gaze at Takuro, who was searching the distance like a sentinal. Even this green creature that portects me. . .if I were to die, would he just go on with his life? Go and be summoned by some other ninja? My death won't affect anyone. Not even Orochimaru anymore. He has what he wants.

I put a kunai to my throat and shakily tried to draw it closer. Yet why does my hand still shake? Why do I hesitate? Why stay here?

"I..." Takuro turned around as I drew in sharp breaths from my crying. "I don't want to die! I want to be surrounded by freinds and play and goof off! I don't want to be bound to the Moon Dragon anymore! I want to be normal. I want to not have to cry everytime I dream about my mom. I don't want to have this scar on my back anymore! I-I want to live! Am I so shameless as to still cling to life after all the horrible things I've done! I'm no different than my mother!"

Takuro cradled me with his tail. "No. You're are nothing like your mother. Your mother never cried as you have done now. Your mother had been gone for years. All that's left of her know is her lifeless body. But you. . .you are still alive, young child, you still have many years ahead of you. It is not shameless to want to live. In fact, you would be a coward to try and run away from everything. Death doesn't solve everything. If you really believe that, then you are no differen't than Orochimaru."

He sat me up with his tail, and wiped away my tears with the tip of it. "Even though you are crying, you are bravely struggling through life. This is how it is for the juunchiriki. But these hardships just make you even stronger. Sarafu. . ." He lifted my chin. ". . .you have reason to live. You must live the life of a child before you die. You must experience life. You have not had a proper life yet. And I won't allow you to throw away that chance."

I was still, thinking. "Takuro. Take me to the old Outpost Village. There's something I want to see."

Takuro didn't inquire any further. He obliged my request and flew me up to the Outpost Village in Mt. Hokkaido. It took all night, and we arrived in the morning. As the sun rose over the peak, I walked on the bare ground, and looked around at the burnt remnants of my previous village. Of course, it was only a branch from our main village, which connected us to the Earth. But I was barely ever allowed to the main village, less my dragon blood destroy it. Still, to me, this place was my home, if you could call it that. I walked down the street and looked from side to side at the memories of my childhood. Strangely, I wasn't saddened at all by this, just a little anxious. When I arrived where the old bakery used to be, I found something very out of place. It was a tiny plant, sprouting from the ashes. It stood there, lone and bright green.

_I guess I should be like this plant. Grow, thrive, from the remains of my dark past. To lean towards the light._

I looked up at the sun and smiled. Takuro looked over at me. "Did you find what you needed?"

"Yes, now let's go home."

He nodded as I mounted his back and flew into the vast sky. "Sarafu, you're hair. . .its still long, are you not going to cut it?"

"No. I'll keep it like this, as a sign of my spiritual rebirth, after all, the old Sarafu is gone now."

_...to be continued._

**A/N: **Thought Sarafu was going emo for a second there, didn't ya? Too bad. She's too cool for emo-ness.


	36. Chapter 37

**Lost-and-Found. Return of TenTen.**

We traveled over half of the day, before we stopped in a town just a few miles away from the border of Stone Country. I made Takuro leave this world, because I felt like he needed some rest after all he's done for me, and my chakra wouldn't be able to keep him in here for long. I tried to patch up my clothes with a hankerchief I had, but I'd need to get new clothes soon, anyway. So, I bought some cheap clothes at a bargain store. They were a simple, purple, short top, which I liked because working out, you needed less clothes, and it came with a nice jacket, but I kept it wrapped around my waste most of the time. I kept my pants though, because they were wearable. I ate some pork ramen at an open booth and then continued on my way down the path that led to the next city.

It was a small, isolated, dirt road, and I didn't meet any travelers, but I didn't want to see any humans. I had enough of them as it was. I liked the peace. I was strangely content after all that had happened to me. I put my hand over my chest where the wound had been.

_It's strange. There used to be a hole here, and now I'm healed. It's thanks to Takuro and the bell that I survived. Well, I should try to learn something from that fight. I'll train while I'm walking, and then I can accomplish two things._

I figured I could do Gai-sensei's way of things and walk on my hands. I did so and continued down the path. I had begun to grow weary when I saw a figure coming my way on the horizon. As we came closer I was able to tell who it was.

"TenTen?!" In my surprise I fell down on the ground and looked up at the ninja girl who was also on her hands.

We sat down around a fire which was roasting some fish we caught on a nearby stream, and a few sticks that were miraculously laying around. I found out that TenTen, after being sucked into the vortex, had woken to find herself in a barren land, which she believed to be Stone Country, so she decided to walk to the closest town and get directions, and why not train while walking?

"It seems we're both on the same train of thought," I mused.

"But why are you all the way up here, Sarafu-san?" TenTen inquired.

I started at the question. Should I tell her? I can use this meeting to my advantage. No one knows that I followed Orochimaru, so if I tell them that I went off in search of TenTen, then I won't get in trouble for trying to side with Orochimaru. Well, I wasn't really 'siding' with him in the first place. And this will also make a great excuse for TenTen. "Well, to tell the truth, your disappearance caused quite a commotion. The Third Exam was delayed because of it, so I thought, why not go and find TenTen. I know it was risky, but hey, I found you!"

"And you're hair! It's so long!"

"Eheheh. Well, I went through a sort of growth spurt while you were gone."

TenTen looked at me with suspicion. "I highly doubt that."

I put on a fake smile. "Well, you never know. The body is unpredictable, especially mine."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Well, I w-was planning on stopping by the Wind Country on our way," I tried to change the subject. "If that's alright with you."

TenTen relaxed and threw back her head, laughing. "Hahahaha! So that's the real reason you came out here! To see Gaara! You're just using me as an excuse!"

"Don't say it like that! And how'd you know? He could still be in the Cloud Village."

"Isn't obvious? You told me about the Third Exam being disrupted. They probably just sent everybody home. And why else would you go to the Wind Country?"

"I could have some other business there."

TenTen smiled haughtily. "_Riiiiiiiight_."

I blushed angrily at my conspicuous feelings. _Dammit! Why do I have to be so easy to read? _

TenTen agreed to come with me anyway. As we walked in silence, I began to doubt my plan.

_What if Gaara isn't there? He really could still be in the Cloud Village. The Third Exam was just stoppped. I didn't stay long enough to find out what was going to happpen. Since its been about a week, I just figured. . .oh man. What if he really isn't there? I can't just travel all the way to the Cloud Village. We're heading back to Konoha. Oh man!_

We walked a few ways, before we reached the next city. I summoned Gonko to send a message to Gai-sensei and the others of our whereabouts and that I had found TenTen. Three days later, he returned and told me that they knew and were heading to Konoha already. I was relieved, but not because of that. That meant that Gaara was also going home. And they were fast, it wouldn't take them long. But I also had a quivering feeling in my stomach. I dreaded reaching the Sand Village as well as anxious about not getting there fast enough, for what I was about to do.

_...to be continued._


	37. Chapter 38

**The New Kazekage**

We arrived in the Wind Country just five days after our meeting in the Stone Country. TenTen and I had gotten to know each other a little better over this span of time. Whoever knew she was so useful? Having no supplies (stupidly)she was great for retrieving food and shelter. Our trek was almost luxurious. We even found a small waterfall where we swam all day. It was so much fun. But I still couldn't feel true bliss, for I was still concious of my business in Suna.

When the Sand Village was just a mile away, TenTen stopped me. "Sarafu, how are we going to get in. Ninja's from other countries aren't allowed without a pass. We only made it in that one time because of Gai-sensei!"

"Don't worry. We can just sneak in. I've done it before. All we have to do is just hide our headbands and they'll never know. Of course, we don't enter through the front gate. We still have to sneak in."

"Are you sure that's gonna work? Is it really that easy to enter?"

I gave her the "nice guy" smile. "Of course it is! Trust me."

TenTen smiled back. "You better uphold that promise."

We tucked our headbands into our pockets and, under the unfluence of my Invisibility jutsu, we snuck into the Sand Village. When we were safely in an alley, I undid the jutsu, and we mingled into the crowd. The place was just the same as how I had left it. I smiled warmly at the grocery store clerk as she waved at me. The people here were so friendly, and it reminded me of my hometown. Made me sort of nostalgic. I loved the architecture of the sand domes, and resisted all urges to walk barefoot. I remembered the first time I saw sand, held it in my hand. It slipped through your fingers, like water.

_Gaara's a lot like sand. You'll try to hold him in your hands and he slips just past your fingers. You can't really work at that guy's pace. Let alone maintain a long-distance relationship._ I looked up at the orange sky, full of sand and dust.

"Sarafu?" TenTen looked at me, worried.

Realizing that I was spacing out I smiled and said "Oh, I'm sorry. It's nothing. I'm just going to head to the Kazekage's office for a while. Would you mind waiting here?"

"Are you sure that's an absolutely good idea? You might get caught."

"Don't worry. Gaara doesn't usually like company, so I doubt I'll bump into many people."

"Ah-well...I guess. If you get caught, though, I'm not going to help you."

I chuckled bitterly. "Alright."

I walked over to the Kazekage's office while TenTen stood there, waiting. I used my Invisibility jutsu and climbed up the wall, using my chakra technique. I was sure that his office would be somewhere up top. There weren't many windows, but the ones I looked in didn't show me much. Many people were in the building today, unfortunately. I found three circular windows at the top and I gazed through them. I was glad when I saw Gaara sitting in a chair in a circle with other people as well. They were talking, but I couldn't hear well, so I put my ear to the window. At that exact moment Gaara's eyes darted my way. I froze. _He didn't see me, did he? That can't be! Only someone with a sharingan or byakugan would be able to see me._

After a few tense seconds, his eyes reverted back to the group of elder people. Letting out my long held breath, I was finally able to hear what they were saying.

"Gaara, you must be aware of the situation the Village is going through right now," said one old man clad in white robes. "We are glad, and congratulate you on becoming Chuunin, but what the village needs now is something more."

There was a pause to let the words sink in. Then he continued. "Our previous Kazekage was killed by Orochimaru, and the village needs a new one. That is why you are here. The Council has discussed the matter, and we believe you to be the best choice. Or, in fact, the only choice."

Some of the members scowled and shot Gaara hateful glances.

"Are you sure of your decission?" Gaara said in a flat tone. "Do you want the Shukaku to become Kazekage?"

One of the men stood up with his hand slammed on the table. "Of course not! How could we all-"

"Silence!" The previous old man shouted. And silence did reign through the room. "We have already discussed this and agreed on no more outward opposition. Now, the only one who can make the final decission is Gaara."

The outraged man sat down, hesitantly. Gaara was silent, thinking.

It seems Gaara isn't welcomed very much in his village. As am I. How similar we are.

"I will become Kazekage."

Faces tunred toward Gaara, some in surprise, some in rage. "The decission is made then. Gaara, you will become the next Kazekage, the-"

I didn't get to hear what happened next, because a bird flew by and pecked and squacked at me, revealing my hiding place. I quickly dashed up the wall and onto the roof. Now I was positive that Gaara knew I was there. After a long half hour, I ventured back down the wall and found the room empty, except for Gaara. He was staring straight at me.

"You can come out. I know you're there."

I froze. He must have been waiting for me. Then, I opened the window and crawled inside, undoing my jutsu. I smiled sheepishly. "Heheh. So you found me. I'm glad to see you made Kazekage."

He didn't answer, but stared at me with aquamarine eyes. The air felt heavy and suffocating. I had to break the silence. "S-so, I guess you're angry at me for leaving without telling you, huh?"

He stared coldly at me. "You've been gone for two weeks."

My mouth twitched as I tried to sustain my smile. "I'm sorry. I would have said good-bye to you, but I couldn't find you in time. It was urgent so I had to leave on short notice."

"With Orochimaru?"

I froze, and this time, I wasn't going to thaw. My smile dropped and my eyes widened. "Y-you...knew?"

"I only guessed. Everyone else doesn't know where you went, but it is a fact that you and the Sound ninjas disappeared on the same night. Most just think you were kidnapped. Not many would believe that you went willingly."

"I didn't go willingly!" I was yelling now. Gaara was prying somewhere I didn't want him to go.

"Oh really? Then you were kidnapped?"

"No! I was forced to go! I had no other choice! He knew where my mother was!"

"And how fare's your mother?"

I couldn't answer. He had guessed eveything about me already. I really was an open book. I put my hand on my non-existent wound on my chest, remembering the pain. "I said we would tell the truth on our next date, didn't I? Well, it looks like this is going to be the last one."

"Last?"

I looked up and smiled as my eyes began to burn. "Yes. Gaara, I want to break up with you."

_...to be continued._


	38. Chapter 39

**Break Up**

"I want to break up with you. I release you."

A lump formed in my throat. "My time alone gave me some time to think, and I realized how much of a spoiled child I've been lately. All I've ever done is whine and complain about things, instead of getting them done. Gaara, I'm posessed by one of the tailed demons, the four tailed Moon Dragon. My mom was posessed by it, and so was my grandmother and so on. All the way back up until the Edo Period. When we turn 23, the Moon Dragon completely takes over. For this reason, my hometown, The Hidden Sky Village, has always feared the Kichino Clan, even the males, although they had nothing to do with this curse. We have been secluded from the rest of the village, but for fear of revenge, we weren't allowed onto the Earth.

"One day, my. . .my mom. . .she turned 23. It was her birthday, but there were no celebrations. She asked me to kill her, right then and there. But I-I. . .couldnt' do it. I sat there and cried with the knife in my hand. Sure, I was only 6, but I still could have done it. I could have murdered my mother and saved the village, but I didn't. I was too afraid. Afraid of my mother, and the other villagers. In the end, she destroyed over half of my village and disappeared, where she was later captured by Orochimaru. Now she has rotted away in some damn tube!"

My fist shook. A tear rolled down my eye. Even though I had lost the memory of the one smile, I still remembered those, and they stil tore into my heart. "So, Gaara, I. . .don't want to cling onto you, like I did to my mother. Like I'm doing right now, to my past. You shouldn't associate yourself with me. I don't want to hold you down. So, Gaara, I'm going to have to say good-bye, this time. I won't bother you again. The deal is off." I wiped my eyes and then smiled just before turning away.

"Wait!"

I flicked my head around. The red headed boy stared back at me. His eyebrows knitted. "I still haven't told you my truth yet."

I smiled faintly. I sat down in one of the chairs, as did he.

"We are similar, for we both are posessed by one of the tailed demons. I am the Shukaku, the one tailed demon."

"I see, so, you too, are hated in your village because of this."

"It's not as bad as you think. Only the adults know."

"But still, if the adults treat you with contempt, then the children will take after them too, even if they don't have a reason."

"I don't need your pity!"

His loud voice startled me. I had never seen him with such an expression on his face before. It kind of scared me. "Ah, I-I'm sorry. How rude of me." I got up and walked towards the window. "Well, I said what I wanted to say. So, from here on out, I want bother you anymore." I turned around and winked with a forced smile. "Besides, I want you to come to me of your own will. Ja ne!" Before he could respond I did my jutsu and hopped out of the window and out of sight.

I undid my jutsu and walked back to where TenTen was, but was surprised to find her talking with some strange girl with short, dark blue hair. TenTen noticed me and said, "Oh, you're back, look who I met! What a coincidence, eh?"

I looked at her strangely, "What do you mean? Who is she?"

"Sarafu, you're such an idiot!" she yelled at me as she hooked me across the left cheek.

As I flew back I thought,_ Hey! I recognize that voice! _I recovered from the blow dealt me and hugged the girl, exclaiming, "Hinako! Yay! I'm so happy to see you!"

She seemed dumbfounded. "You are?"

I hugged her tighter. "Yes! I missed everyone."

"Um. . .Sarafu, what exactly happened to you while you were gone. You're hair's longer."

"You too! You're hair's-ummm-different. And you're ears! What kind of fight did you get into?"

Hinako sighed. "It wasn't a fight; it was Mr. Kyo."

I patted her back with pity. "Oh, you poor, poor thing. At least it's just your head."

"I know. I know. But don't try to change the subject! What went through you're head? Who said you could leave with Orochimaru!?!"

TenTen looked at me. "What?! Orochimaru?!"

I smiled sheepishly. "Ah, eh. . .you see, uh, well. . .You too, huh? Why does everyone know what I did without me even telling them?"

"It's because you're an emotional idiot."

"Thanks," I said with great sarcasm.

"What happened when you were with Orochimaru?"

I tried to avoid the question. "Oh hey, look, Gaara's coming this way!" I turned toward him energetically and waved with a broad smile on my face. "Hey, Gaara!"

When he walked up to us he said, "You guys are still here? How can you be so energetic, Sarafu?"

My smile broadened. "Because I can look upon you're beautiful face!"

He didn't answer, but just stared at me with a slightly blank look.

Hinako noticed, but before she could say anything I butted in. "Hey, Hinako, did you know that Gaara has become the next Kazekage?"

She sighed. "I know. Don't try to change the subject. Answer my question."

"What question?" I said innocently.

"Dammit, Sarafu!" Hinako gripped my shoulders tightly. "What the hell did he do to you?! What happened?! Tell me everything!"

I was silent in my surprise. Hinako had never made such an outburst before, it was disturbing. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Don't play coy with me! I know that you went to Orochimaru, and no one can just leave. What happened?"

I looked down to hide my face. "I. . .I nearly died. What else?"

Gasps resonated through the group. Even Gaara looked at me with some worry. "What do you mean?"

"W-when I went there, I found my mother was rotting away in some test tube. Orochimaru had me fight a boy named Uchiha Sasuke, so that he could steal my techniques."

"Sasuke?" Hinako shook me. "Are you sure?"

"Y-yes," I was startled. "Who is he, anyway?"

Hinako looked grave. "My brother."

My mouth fell open as I stared in shock. Hinako has a brother? I heard the entire Uchiha Clan was destroyed, while Hinako was away, except for one boy. Could Sasuke be this boy?

"What else happened?" TenTen asked.

"Well, he was surprisingly strong, and even when I was under the influence of the Moon Dragon, he still beat me, using a technique he called the 'chidori'."

Everyone looked at me as though I was a ghost. "Ch-Chidori?!"

I put my hand over my chest. "Yes, he stabbed his hand through me, but, luckily, Takuro was there, and he used one of the Bells on Life to heal me, just as I was on the brink of death."

"What did you forget?" Hinako asked, almost out of the blue. When I didn't answer she inquired further. "Or do you even know?"

"Takuro told me. He said I forgot my mother's smile, but-" I turned towards them with an extremely forced smile "-you can't weep that which you don't know the value of. I don't remember how much I treasured it, so I'm okay. There's no need for you to make that look. I'm fine. Really. The one who should be pitied here is you, Hinako. I hate to say this, but from the way your brother fought, I don't think there's any possibility of getting him back. He was so. . .cold. He felt almost, no, worse than Orochimaru. So much vibrating hatred! It was oppresive."

Hinako looked at me with deep sunken eyes. I really didn't like this conversation so I excused us from Gaara and we left the village.

_...to be continued._


	39. Chapter 40

**Enter Kakashi, the Copy Ninja**

When I arrived in Konoha, I received many different greetings. Mr. Kyo gave me a great big hug, and then repreminded me for my bad fashion, even if I was in enemy territory; Jin just called me a burden; Tsunade-sama gave me this long lecture and nearly cried her eyes out from the strain; Lee-san wouldn't stop asking me if I was alright; Neji didn't really acknowledge it; and Gai-sensei wouldn't stop thanking me for bringing back TenTen. Hinako was still pissed though.

I walked onto the dirt path that lead from the Hokage's office. "Man," I thought aloud. "I know it was wrong, and extremely stupid of me, but she didn't have to take that long of a lecture! It was so boring!" I sighed as I continued on my rampage of complaints, believing I was the only one there. A voice called out to me and I looked up from the ground to see a middle-aged man with a mask and short white hair that flopped to the side. From the looks of his uniform, he was a jounin. I greeted him warily, and was about to make my way, before he stopped me.

"You've been to Orochimaru and back," he quoted. "That's an amazing feat. Not many people can pull it off, and of their free will, no less."

I examined his face-or more like his eye, because it was the only thing that wasn't covered-and retorted with a "You're not going to lecture me too, are you? I've had enough from Tsunade-sama." _Even if you do lecture me, I won't listen._

He made what I figured to be a smile. "I wouldn't even attempt it. You hormonal teenagers never listen to us wise elders."

My bottom lip stuck out as I glared at him even more. This guy's kind of annoying. "Before you start spouting out rude comments, why don't you introduce yourself, Mask Boy?"

He chuckled. "That's a nice nickname. I am Hatake Kakashi, a jounin, as you may have guessed. I've had some experience in this field, so I can tell what you are going through."

"Experience? What? Have you played with Orochimaru before? And what exactly is it that I'm 'going through?' I found this event to be quite fruitious."

"Oh really? My, you too are different, aren't you? And I haven't 'played' with Orochimaru, as you put it, but I believe you've heard of Uchiha Sasuke before, right?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Well, he was a genin under me. I know much about him. A lot more than you can imagine. So I know somewhat of what was going through your mind at the time. You thought you could outwit Orochimaru, didn't you?"

My muscles grew taught. He hit the nail right on the head.

"And as you can see, he's much more powerful than you are. I heard you even got beaten by Sasuke, who's just an apprentice. He may be about the same age as you, but he's more mature in his power."

I gritted my teeth. He's asking for it. It's nearly dawn and no one's around. I could kill him and hide the body. No one would miss him, right? "Where do you get off?"

He laughed. "You're more similar to Naruto, but with a bit more restraint. He would have come at me by now. 'How can I say this? I think I'm actually beginning to like you.' Ah, that quote's so nostalgic!"

I cocked my eyebrow. I'll just leave this guy here. He's beginning to talk to himself. If I leave quietly, he may not notice. I tiptoed away, but Kakashi was right in front of me.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I jumped back and screamed in my fright. "You're a stalker, aren't you?!"

"No, I'm not a stalker. I just want to give you this advice." He held up his finger and looked me straight in the eye. "You may have many relations with Orochimaru, but you are not bound to him. What he does, has nothing to do with you. Remember this." He smiled and then turned around. "Well, this is good bye, Sarafu. I really do hope we meet each other again soon." With that, he waved and disappeared into the approaching darkness, which I stared blankly into.

_So mysterious. Wait! I didn't tell him my name! How'd he know?_

_...to be continued._


	40. Chapter 41

**Snotty Younger Brothers and Irresponsible Older Sisters**

The advent of dawn roused me and forced me to get up. I looked over at my digital clock sitting on my nightstand. "Ugh! 5:30?! Damn you sunlight! Why can't it be dark for 20 hours a day. I hate the light!" I changed clothes and trudged into the kitchen where Jin was waiting for me to make breakfast for him. He laughed when he saw me and made comments about my hair, which earned him a few lumps on the head. I made him some eggs, sunnyside up, of course, and slopped him some buttered toast, which he, of course, complained about. I was going to make myself a cup of coffee, when I opened the pantry, and my heart stopped.

"NOOOOOO!! WE'RE OUT OF COFFEE!!! AHHH!!" I ran to the door and slipped on my sandals. "Jin! I'm going out for a while. Mind the apartment while I'm gone."

"Only for-"

I didn't hear the rest because I ran out of the doorway and into the streets. And by ran, I mean sprinted. I was hauling, well, you know the phrase. In about five minutes tops, I arrived at the nearest supermarket and fell to the floor, breathing heavily. People around me stared, but I didn't care. My sides hurt.

"Sarafu? What's the rush?"

I looked up to see none other than Kakashi staring down at me. I jumped back. "Ah! You really are a stalker!"

He smiled warily. "I told you to stop calling me that. But more importantly, what happened?"

I struggled to stand up, still breathing heavily. "I. . .neeed. . .to get. . .coffee."

At first, he was silent, then he burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha! You're not a morning person, are you?"

_Well, I am the Moon Dragon, after all, the thoughts wandered through my head. I prefer the nightlife._ I ignored him and slinked towards the bottles of coffee powder. I held one of them close and smiled tenderly. "Sweet powder of life!" I went over to the clerk to buy it and hurried out the store to head home. When I glanced over my shoulder, Kakashi was right behind me.

"Don't follow me, you stalker!"

"I'm not stalking you, I just happen to go the same way. It's a coincidence."

"What? Are you some lonely ol' perverted man or something?" I grumbled.

His face went angry and then sad. I began to feel sorry for my harsh words, but then he pulled out a book.

"What's that, what are you reading?"

"Oh, just something to pass the time."

I got closer to read the title. "Icha Icha-" I stopped in mid-sentence. "YOU REALLY ARE A PERVERT!" I stormed off.

I opened the door to my house and found Jin playing a video game. "What are you doing here?" I accused. "You're a ninja. Shouldn't you be training, at the least?"

"What? You told me to look over the house."

"HOW'S PLAYING A GAME LOOKING OVER THE HOUSE?!"

"Well, what do you expect me to do? I can't just sit around."

"WELL THEN, GO TRAAAAAAAAAIIIN!!!" White fire blazed out of my mouth, as my Dragon's chakra went out of control. It was easily swayed by my emotions. Unfortunately for Jin, my flames hit his game console, which melted it and destroyed his game.

"You! You destroyed my game! How could you! You bit-"

"Hey! Don't blame me! It's not like I can control these powers! And its your own damn fault! You shouldn't be playing the stupid thing anyway, and did what I said. You didn't even lock the door!"

"What?! Now it's _my_ fault?! That's real smooth, putting the blame on a youngster like me!"

"Oh shove it! You're a ninja, which means you have to accept some responsibilities! If you're a youngster, then you're a whiny baby!"

His mouth fell open as the insult fell upon his ears. "Wha-You! How dare you!"

"Oh, I dare! I'm the oldest one here, and I am the authority, so I ground you!"

"What?! You can't ground me!"

"Watch me!"

He shook for a second and then ran out screaming, "I HATE YOU AND I HATE THIS HOUSE!!"

As he ran down the street, I yelled after him. "IT'S NOT A HOUSE! IT'S AN APARTMENT!!" As he turned the corner I walked back into the living room.

_Hmph! I don't care! He can run away if he wants. He's a ninja. He should be able to handle himself. And any misfortune that he comes upon, he deserves it! _

I screamed as I saw Kakashi, the stalker, sitting on my couch. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Just visiting. Your place is so much like a drama, that its more interesting than my book. I had to watch."

"Well, I'm glad you can gawk at me and my pathetic life, now leave!"

"Oh, I'm not gawking at you. I came to give you some advice from a wise upperclassman."

"I don't need the advice of a perverted stalker."

"sigh I told you, I'm not a stalker. And if you don't want my lovely advice, then you two will never make up."

_Ugh! He sounds like Mr. Kyo._ "Just go away! He's the one who needs to apologize, not me."

"If you really believe that, then I take back what I said before."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"The night before, I take back what I said about you not having anything to do with Orochimaru. You. . .You're just like him."

His words hit me like a blow to the stomach. I was so shocked that I stared off into space, as he left. _I'm just like Orochimaru?! No, that can't be! I'm nothing like that bastard! He's just insulting me, like always. _

_But,_ a tiny voice inside my head objected, _he's been right on all of them. You really are acting a bit out of place._

_Not as much as Orochimaru, though! I have nothing to do with that guy! I am NOT his daughter. I don't care what genetics says._

_If that is true, then stop acting like him._

I sat there and thought long and hard about it. I really did overreact, but his complaining always wore out my nerves, and I am always in a bad mood on the mornings. I let out my breath. This kid wore me out. "Well, I guess I'll go find him." I put on my jacket and walked into the cool morning air.

_...to be continued._


	41. Chapter 42

**Jin Kidnapped?! Hinako and Sarafu to the rescue! **

I held my sides that seemed to be coursing with acid. "Where the hell is he?" I looked around, but found no familiar faces in the bustling crowd. I know I said I was going to make up with him, but where the hell did that jerk run off to?

I looked over to my right and saw Hinako walking with Neji. "Hey, Hinako!" I called out as she glared at me for ruining her good day. "Have you seen Jin?"

"No, I haven't. Now, leave my sight!"

"Hinako, you're so harsh."

"Oh, wait! Actually, I did receive a ransom note this morning for him. They want 1,000,000 yen for the stupid dude. Like I'd ever pay that much for the brat! They'll just realize that he's a dud."

"Yeah, but what if they decide to kill him in their anger?!"

"Well, that's one less ninja we'll have on our side."

"Hinako," Neji's voice stood out above mine. "It's not right to abandon you're teammate. I agree with Sarafu, you should go rescue him. Consider it training."

"Well, I guess if you put it that way, I'll have to go. Fine, come on, Sarafu. Let's go to the scheduled place."

We ran off in the direction to the main gate. "Hey, Hinako, where exactly are we going, anyway?" I asked while running through the main gate, past the gaurds.

"The meeting place is near Ojingasa City. If we run faster, we can make it there in time. Let's go."

I nodded my head and picked up the pace, pushing against the ground harder. My heart pumped strenuously as I used up my energy reserves. I didn't really understand why, but I was sweating, even though we hadn't been running for that long and hard. It irritated me about Jin's capture. I felt the same anxiety that I did when I saw my mom in the test tube. I hadn't realized it yet, but I had begun to treat Jin like a little brother. My soul, unconciously, reached out for family, which I never seemed to keep more than a few months.

We arrived in a forest clearing near Ojingasa City. Standing there, in the dark, were two Rain shinobi with a tied up Jin behind them. "Heh, so you actually came," the big ugly one said, "I thought Konoha ninja would've put up more resistance. Well, where's the money?"

Hinako looked at the two ninja then at Jin, who stared back at her. They both nodded their heads slightly, and then Hinako said, "Hold your horses! We still need to know the condition of your hostage. Don't think we are so stupid as to just hand the money over without knowing the stats."

They grimaced a bit and then the not so ugly one kicked Jin in front of them. "Hey!" I screamed out at them and took a step forward, but Hinako held her arm out in the way. She looked at me with a serious face and I instantly knew what was going on. Hinako had a plan. I calmed myself down and stood down. Jin looked at us and was probably complaining through his gagged mouth.

"There," the really ugly one said. "Now hand over the money."

Hinako reached behind her back to reveal a kunai, and then she screamed, "NOW!" and Jin jumped out of his bonds, while Hinako and I attacked the Rain ninja. Jin ran behind us, while the Rain ninja quickly drew their kunais to defend. "Did you think that mere ropes could restrain a Leaf ninja?" I said as I kicked the not so ugly one in the shins since he was blocking all my other attacks. He crumpled onto the ground. The ugly one disappeared in a puff of smoke to reveal a log. "Kawarimi!"

The real one appeared in a tree, and he was forming seals. When he was finished he said, "Acid Rain justu!"

Jin ran in between us and quickly formed seals. "Do you think I, a former waterfall ninja, can be stopped by that?! Bubble Shield!"

A bubble popped around Hinako and I, protecting us from the red rain that fell. The foliage around us though, was burned as smoke arose from the grass and trees. The Ugly One growled as the rain stopped and the bubble disappeared. He formed more handseals, but before he could finish, I jumped up, into the tree, landing next to him. I took out a kunai and shoved it into his shoulder, tearing into his flesh. He let out a screeching roar from the pain, and the flung me off. The other, not so ugly, one ran over to him, and they both disappeared in a puff of smoke, but not without a, "You'll pay for this!"

"Heh, amateurs," Jin said as we headed back home.

"You were captured by these 'amateurs'," I noted as we walked down the dirt path back.

"Hey, they caught me off gaurd!"

"Oh, really?"

"Shut it, you two!" Hinako whispered loudly. "We're being followed."

We glanced behind our shoulders, but not soon enough. We were hit with a great burst of water that threw us across the path and into the forest, where I hit my head on a tree, and was knocked unconcious.

_...to be continued._


	42. Chapter 43

**The One And Only Ninja Mafia**

Thin, slivers of light penetrated my fragile eyes that had become so used to the dark caused by the wall of my eyelids. I grunted as I felt the soreness all over my body. I tried to move my arms to stretch, but they wouldn't budge. I opened my eyes wider to see a dark cave with only one torch lit to my right hanging on the cavern wall. I looked over my shoulder and saw my hand in chains, locked to a pillar of rock. I looked over to my left to see Jin, unconcious as well, and also tied up to a rock pillar. A more thorough search revealed no other living within sensing range, so I made a loud, "Psst!" to try and wake Jin. After kicking him with my legs, he finally opened his eyes, and then complained loudly at me.

"Shssssshh!" I whispered rasply. "They'll know we're awake!"

Jin realized the situation and then shut himself up. "Where are we?"

"I don't know, but apparantely we've been captured."

"Where's Hinako?"

That was a good question. Where was she? Ever since the sudden blast of water-which was most likely caused by an enemy ninja-Hinako was no where in sight. Did she manage to escape? "Maybe she can go get help," I whispered hopefully to Jin.

"Hinako? I don't think s-" He was cut off by the sound of footsteps, so we quickly let our heads fall and pretended to be asleep. As the footsteps grew louder, so did the beatings of my heart. They became so loud, that I thought whoever was coming would be able to hear it. When the footsteps finally stopped, I heard the soft breathing of a man.

"Huh. Looks like they're still asleep," the stranger said with a gruff voice. "Those two must be really weak to get captured by these bafoons."

I clenched my teeth to try and quench my rising anger.

"And one of them's a woman! She doesn't look like she could harm a fly."

I clamped my fists. This guy was getting my nerves.

"What's the deal with women lately? Thinkin' they can do a man's job. Heh. Women were meant to support the man, not work beside him. I should put her in her place."

"OKAY, THAT'S IT!!" I formed hand seals with my chained up hands as fast as lightening and then looked up at the man and opened my mouth. "MOON BEAM!" An eminse blast of light burst out of my mouth and collided with the astonished gaurd. He was blown back into the cave wall as it shook the entire cavern. Little bits of rock fell down and eventually stopped as the cave stood still with the gaurd lying deathly still a good twenty meters away.

"Oh, great," Jin whined. "Now look what you did. The whole cave knows we're awake now."

"Oh well," I sighed, forming more hand seals. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!(Summoning Technique) They would've figured out we were faking anyway." As the smoke that appeared from my jutsu weared off, my little dragon friend, Gonko, appeared. Without me even having to tell him, he slithered over towards the gaurd. He came back with a shiny pair of keys in his mouth, and unlocked Jin's and my chains. Since we were at the end of the cave tunnel, we had no choice, but to go down the tunnel, to where the dead gaurd was. I threw his body behind some rock pillars, hoping it would throw some people off our trail.

We continued down the tunnel, seeing no one in sight, but hearing the echoing noise of trampling feet. It sounded like they were coming from everywhere. We continued down the cave as stealthily as we could. Soon, the cavern walls became flatter, and smoother as we went along, until we found ourselves in what seemed to look like a building. Curious, we continued on our way, and then the path split into three pathways.

"Oh, great," Jin sighed. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know, but you don't have much time," Gonko said squeakily. "I hear people coming from the middle passage. You need to choose one quickly."

"Well, lets go right," I pulled Jin's arm along. "Right is always right!"

"Oh, great, we're going to die," Jin retorted as he followed along.

I ignored his comment and pressed on. My hunches were always correct! Gonko slithered on ahead, to warn us of any traps or oncoming enemies. We continued down for about half an hour, before crowds of people caused us to have to go under the influence of my Invisibility Jutsu. We snuck along the ceiling, forming the chakra to our hands, to avoid bumping into people accidentally. We found ourselves in an enourmous chamber fool of people rushing about, but one really skinny guy was sitting upon a chair. He wore a black suit with a black rose and his black hair was slicked back, across his head. He had a thin, black mustache across his upper lip. He had his head in his hands and he was quite frustrated.

"HURRY UP AND FIND THEM, YOU MAGGOTS!" He shouted across the roar of the room, which only made the people run around more hurridly.

"Umm, sir," a slightly plump man standing next to the sitting leader. "Maggots is more of a term used for ship's captains, you're looking for 'infidels'."

"Yes, right, HURRY UP AND FIND THEM, YOU INFIDELS!!" he yelled, and then sighed, "I never knew being a mafia leader would be this much work!"

M-Mafia?! I nearly fell down from the ceiling from my surprise. "What the hell's a mafia leader doing around here?" I whispered to Jin.

"How the heck am I supposed to know?" Jin whispered back.

"Let's get a closer look at this 'mafia leader'," I said as I crawled closer to him. Once near, I could tell that he was much younger than he appeared. It was like looking at a black Jin. Unfortunately, however, he was as smart as Jin, and noticed we were there. He threw a kunai up at us, and just barely missed my head. In my shock, I actually _did_ fall down this time, and right in front of the mafia leader. "Eheh." I smiled warily as he smiled triumphantly at me.

"It seems one of them has come to us, capture her!"

A swarm of men threw themselves upon me, but Gonko came down and squealed so loudly that it hurt their ears, and they staggered for a bit. I took this chance and formed a series of handseals to create three other clones of my self and we knocked down the first wave of them. Then we each in term, made more clones so that we were equal to the number of people attacking us. Eventually, I beat them all up, and there was only the leader and the plump guy left. All of my clones turned and glared at him.

He looked a bit flustered and then screamed, standing up. "I-I will never give in to the likes of you!" But then Jin jumped down and kicked him in the shins and he was rolling across the floor crying. It was pathetic. When he finally got over his pain, he knelt humbly before Jin and proclaimed. "We give in! P-Please tell us the name of our successor!"

I was about to call out my name, when Jin spoke first. "My name is Jin. Jin of the Nakagawa Clan."

"Oh, Lord Nakagawa, we submit to your power, please be our leader!"

"What about me?!" I screamed. "I took out all of your men!"

The mafia leader stood up and looked at me with disgust. "M'lord, why do you have such a filthy woman as your subordinate?"

I wanted to pound their heads in. "AAAARRRGGHH!! YOU SEXIST IDIOTS!!"

"Shut up, woman!" he said. "How dare you speak to Lord Nakagawa that way!"

I kneed him in between the legs. "I'm talking to _you_ that way, punk!" He rolled across the ground, this time, bawling.

"Wakudera, I see you're in pain as usual," a familiar voice called out. I flipped around to see. . .

"HINAKO?!" I gasped in surprise.

"What? Is it so surprising to see me here?" Hinako walked over to the crying little boy and then walked away from him.

"YES!! Where the hell were you?!"

"Well, I was roaming around the city. Is that wrong?"

My mouth fell open. "Wha-?! What about when we were captured? Why didn't you help us?"

Hinako stared at me blankly. "Why should I help you?"

The words were piercing, but, me being my moody self, quickly recovered. "So, how come no one stopped you from getting in here?"

"Because I'm their sponsor."

I stared at her blankly. "Huh?"

"You don't know anything, do you?" Sarafu picked up the now recovered boy. "This is Shita Wakudera, leader of the one and only ninja mafia, made completely out of missing nins. Of course, they're nothing compared to Akatsuki. And I'm their one and only sponsor, so they treat me with respect. However, no other woman will be treated the same. That includes you."

After hearing the explanation, I was too tired to care. "Well, Jin, it now looks like you're the new leader, please try to run your mafia well."

"Of course, I've already got plans!" Jin exclaimed. "Wakudera, go fetch me some coffee!"

"Yes, m'lord!"

_...to be continued._


	43. Chapter 44

**Heart Break. Sarafu Is Rejected.**

It rained heavily this morning so I was stuck inside. It was hard to do even D level missions in the rain. Some ANBU members, however still had to do their missions. Jin mostly played his video games or controlled his newly found mafia by phone. I, on the other hand, stared out the window, pondering. Yesterday, I had received letter from Yoko-sama, the Sorakage. It asked for my immeadiate return to the Sky Village. Yoko-sama had fallen ill, so ill, he would die in a month, and was unable to lead the Sky Village any longer. He asked for me to take his stead. My services were no longer needed in Konoha. I stared into the nothingness, thinking over my decision. I could absolutely not refuse the Sorakage, but it would be hard to leave the comfortable life in Konoha. Besides, I might never be able to return to the ground, which meant, never seeing Gaara again. I wanted, to at least, this time, say good-bye. I clutched my chest, in its searing pain. I had decided, that tonight I shall leave.

As the evening settled in, I slid outside from my window. Jin had long past fallen asleep, thanks to the drug I stirred into his drink. I ran onto the top of the roof of the apartment complexes. I summoned Moregayo, even though he grumbled at me. When I didn't reply, he felt my seriousness and became quiet. I put both of us under my Invisibility jutsu, and we set off into the sky.

When we were far from Konoha, Moregayo ventured to ask, "Have you been summoned back?"

"Yes, but stop at Suna, first. I need to speak with someone for a bit."

"Hai."

A few hours later, I stepped off of Moregayo and onto the sand. I gazed out into the distance, where the Hidden Sand Village stood out from the smooth hills of dust. A strong wind blew, but there was no rain here. I unsommuned Moregayo, since there was no further need for him. I wrapped my jacket around me and set off for Suna. The streets were empty in the dark. Lights shown from circular windows, as the people of Suna prepared for bed. I did not worry about Gaara, for I knew he never slept. I made my way to the Kazekage's office. One light radiated from the massive building. This was the first time I actually went in through the front door. I walked up a flight of stairs, until I reached a door with the encryption, "Kazekage". Hesitating at first, I opened the door to reveal a lone Gaara sitting lazily in his chair, surrounded by massive piles of paperwork. He didn't even look up at me.

"You come to visit me, even this late? It's past visiting hours, you know."

I laughed bitterly as a single tear streamed down my face. I quickly became silent, which disturbed Gaara enough to look up at me. "What's the matter?"

"Gaara, I-I've been. . .I've been asked to become the next Sorakage of the Sky Village."

"Congratulations," he said coldly, which caused my eyes to quiver from the extreme force of the increasing amount of tears behind my eyes.

"You know what this means. I. . .I must leave the Earth, which means I won't be able to see you. Ever."

Gaara was silent. He looked back down to his paperwork. His face showed no signs of emotion, merely boredom. This angered me.

"Don't you care?!" I screamed, unable to hold my tears any longer. "Do you not understand that I love you?! Why the hell do you think I sneak into Suna, all the time, risking my life?! Am I nothing to you?! Gaara, answer me!"

He was silent. I could not see his face, because he was turned away.

"DAMMIT, GAARA, ANSWER ME!!!"

"Yes. I do know about your feelings. I am very much aware of these things."

"Then why?! Why are you so cold to me? Why do you not smile, even a cold friendly smile? Why do you show no emotion towards me, but to random people from this village, you act so kindly towards! I've seen you! A pack of girls come up to you and you're all smiles!"

"I can not show them my true self, but I show it to you. Take the compliment."

"True you?! So you are so blank? Is this how you treat Kankurou and Temari?! With such distance and coldness?"

"No."

"Then why do you treat me like that?"

He was startled by this question and flicked his gaze towards me. He saw my crying visage. I really did love him. I wanted him to treat me like he did Temari and all of his close friends. He never showed any emotion towards me. I always felt like he would never look my way. Like he could never notice me. "Gaara, do. . .do you hate me?"

To my astonishment, Gaara flung at me and slammed his hands on his desk. His face close to mine. "OF COURSE I DON'T!!" he yelled at me. "I love you! There you go! I love you so much you make my head spin. I've thought about dropping everything here and just running away with you!"

"Then come with me!" I pleaded. "Come with me to the Sky Village! No one knows it exists, so no one will find us there!" I looked at him hopefully.

He sat back down in his seat, devastatingly calm. "No. I can't. The people of this village want me to be their Kazekage. I can't just abandon them."

My heart sank. "Please?" I said weakly. A life without Gaara? I couldn't imagine such a thing. I shook the thought from my head. "No, no no! You have to come! We just have to be together!"

"No. Sarafu, this may be a bit harsh, but. . .I choose the Sand Village over you."

His words were like a knife in my heart. I stumbled backwards, unbelieving. I couldn't get all the millions of words running through my head out of my mouth, so I just stuttered. My mind was in chaos.

_No! He has to come with me! I love him, and he said that he loves me, so we should be together! People who are in love, always end up together. Yes! Gaara is just confused! He doesn't understand this yet! He's blinded by his feelings of obligation toward the village. He really wants to run away with me. He just doesn't know how to yet._

Blinded with love and longing. I grabbed his shoulders and smiled crazily. "Its alright, Gaara. We can fake your death! Then the people of this village will have to choose a new Kazekage, and you can live happily ever after, with me!"

Gaara pulled away frm me, a bit scared of my glazed eyes. "Who? Who else can lead this city? No. I'm the only one left who can guide this village to glory."

"Gaara, you are simply blinded. We-"

"No! It is you who is blinded. Blinded by your insane love for me. Sarafu, when I said I loved you, I didn't mean like that. I meant as in the love for a younger sister. Sarafu, how do you feel when you're around me?"

I was beffudled by his new question, but answered truthfully. "My stomach feels like it has butterflies, and I feel all hot. I. . .I just want to die from the embarassment I feel."

"Exactly. That is not how I feel about you. You just make me feel calm. I don't long after your body, like people in love should. I merely feel warmed by your personaility. You. . .you do not want someone who makes you feel that way. You want someone you can feel comfortable around. Where you don't think you have to act your best. Sarafu that place is not by my side. You will live a wretched life if we are together. Please, for your own sake, forget about me. Find love somewhere else."

"I-I can't!" I desperately clung to his shirt. "I can't live without you! I lo-"

He covered my mouth before I could finish the sentence. "Don't say it!" He growled angrilly. He clutched my mouth so hard, I thought he would puncter my cheeks. "Don't you say another damn word! You're getting annoying. I'm trying to tell you nicely to back off, but you just don't understand simple English, do you?"

I cried, muffled by his hand, and try to squirm free.

"I'm getting tired of hearing your whinny voice. Leave! Leave now, and if I ever see your snotty little face, I will KILL you!" He squeezed my mouth so hard, just before throwing me into the wall. I put my hand on my face, where he had broken the skin, and I was bleeding. I stared at him, too scared to move.

"Get out."

I shivered at his dark voice. He seemed so ruthlessly evil now. My heart was flying.

"GET OUT NOW!"

I darted out the door as his booming voice knocked me down the stairs. Finally stopping at the end, I continued through the building without a stop for breath.

_He's going to kill me! I know he is! I've got to escape!_ I burst through the front door and ran down the streets of Suna. My heart racing. I finally collapsed from excitement, outside of the city. Laying in the sand as the wind blew over me, I stared into the dark sky.

_Why won't it rain? Usually, at times like these, it rains, but why is it as dry as a desert? Why will the sky not mourn for me? Why? Why did all of this happen to me? Why? Why?_

"Why will the sky not mourn for me?"

Since the sky wouldn't create rain, I created some for myself, streaming down the side of my bleeding cheek. There lay the next Sorakage, weeping as the sand covered her crumpled body.

_...to be continued._


	44. Chapter 45

**A/N: **Alrighty! I've got some new chapters for you! Oh, and I seem to have forgotten to put the disclaimer on them lately. So here it is:

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but Sarafu.

**Enter Hatake Ryushin**

I spent the next day, just lazing around. Everytime I gathered the energy to walk, I didn't get very far. I could stand to look at this empty desert, so I summoned Moregayo, to fly me away to Mt. Hokkaido in Rock Country. It took us two days, but we made it there nonetheless. I was too depressed to eat anything in that span of time, so I was near death by the time we arrived. Byt that time, I was too hungry to care about my recent heartbreak. I walked into Hokkaido city, which was next to the mountain, hence the name, and was nearly crawling on my hands and knees by the time I finally spotted a restraunt. I stumbled in and the host staring at me warily at the front of the building asked me, "Umm, will you be the only one dining tonight, miss?"

"No. Table for two, please."

I looked around to see who it was that made the statement and found a young boy with small stature. He was just a bit shorter than me and his hair was a flashing white. His eyes were black with white pupils, which made him quite bold-looking, despite his flustered face and stuttering. He kept averting his eyes, not sure exactly where to put them. He was wearing a black trench coat with a white dragon on the back.

"I see," the host said in my stunned silence, "I'll show you to your table then." He led us away, and before I could protest, we were sitting across from each other in a booth. A waiter came by and took our drinks. All this time, I was still to shocked to speak.

"Wha...Wait! Hey!" I suddenly regained conciousness. "Who said I wanted to eat with you!"

The strange boy looked hurt. "I-I. . .I'm sorry. You just looked so tired, I thought you would like for me to pay for your meal. . .I'm sorry. It was rude of me."

He said the magic words. "Oh, no. It's perfectly alright. I'm glad to dine with such a fine upstanding gentleman, as yourself."

Red spread across his face. "A-a! I-I ummm. . .I d-d-don't kno-o-w, about d-dat. heh."

The waiter came back with our drinks. I didn't realize that I was so thirsty as to guzzle down the whole glass of coke in one gulp. I ordered a refill, and once the waiter returned he asked for our orders.

Hmmm...I strangely feel like meat. Lots and lots of meat. So I ordered the carnivore's special, which was composed entirely out of meat. The white-haired stranger, however, just had a light salad. As the waiter left, the stranger introduced himself. "A-ah, I'm Hatake Ryushin."

_Hatake? I wonder if he's related to Kakashi-sensei at all. But then what is he doing in the Cloud Village?_

I glanced up at him from my drink. "Oh, I'm Kichino Sarafu. I's nice to meet you."

"Oh, I already know your name. We meet at the Chuunin Exams, remember?"

I dropped my straw. "Really? I don't remember you!"

Ryushin seemed a tad down-trodden. "You don't remember? I was the guy who explained the Second Round."

"The cloud jounin? You don't look like him."

"Well, that's because I was in my work uniform, and well, I tend to act differently when I get into things."

"Hm. Well, now that you mention it, you do look kinda similar. So, what are you doing all the way over here?"

"Oh, just a simple recon mission. Now that the Chuunin Exams are over, its quite calm in the Cloud Village. How fares Konoha?"

"Oh, its umm. . .good, I guess. Its not really any of my concern anymore."

"Why not?"

_I can't exactly tell him that I'm going to become the Sorakage for the Sky Village, can I?_ "Oh, nothing. So, how old are you Ryushin? You look quite young for a jounin."

"Oh, I'm only 16."

"16! Wow, that's quite young! You're only a year older than me." _Heh, and I'm going to become the kage._

"Before you said that Konoha was no longer any of your concern, why do you say that?" Ryushin inquired.

"Oh, nothing. I was just talking nonsense."

Ryushin eyed me, suspicous. Before he could inquire any further, our food arrived. A huge oval plate was placed in front of me with steaming steaks on it. I couldn't help but drool at the site of food. I shoved the meat into my mouth before the waiter could even leave. When did I become so hungry? Ryushin and the waiter stared at me.

"U-umm. . .You know, its not really healthy to have just meat," Ryushin dismissed the waiter.

"Who cares?" I retorted. "Extra protein."

"Did you know that dragons are carnivorous? They eat about two pounds of meat for every meal. Well, for the averaged sized ones, of course."

I shook my head. "Not the smaller ones. Gonko's an omnivore. He eats bugs an plants."

"Gonko? Is that a dragon?"

"Yeah. He's one of my summon dragons. Here, as a thanks, I'll show him to you."

"Really! I'm sort of a dragon researcher, and I've never seen a summon dragon! Just my elemental dragons."

"You like dragons, huh?" I mumbled. "Then you'll love me." **(A/N: Heehhheeehhehehh. How little you know, Sarafu.)**

"What'd you say?"

"Oh, nothing."

When we finished eating, Ryushin payed the bill and we left the resteraunt. Outside of the city, I summoned Gonko. Ryushin was absolutely delighted. He circled Gonko constantly, making observations, and comments. Gonko felt embarassed.

"Could you stop that please?" Gonko sighed away, sheepishly.

"Oh my!" Ryushin squealed like a giddy schoolgirl. "You're voice is even tiny too!"

"You might want to stop that Ryushin," I said. "He's quite sensitive about his size."

Ryushin looked at me with sparkling eyes. "But I've never seen a dragon this small!"

That was it. Gonko launched himself at Ryushin and bit him on the arm. Ryushin screamed. He danced around, trying to fling the vicous dragon off of his arm. After blood was drawn, I unsommuned Gonko. "I told you," I said. Ryushin chuckled warily and wiped his wounded arm with a hankerchief. I looked up at the sky. It was getting late in the day, and I still needed to travel up Mt. Hokkaido. I stretched my arms and then dismissed myself.

"Wait!" Ryushin called out to me. "Where are you going?"

"To the mountain, I no longer need your services."

"B-But, why don't we travel together?"

"No. I need to go alone. This involves only me, and we don't need any other villages interrupting."

"Oh, so this is part of your mission?"

I walked on towards the mountain. "Something like that."

"Wait!" Ryushin followed after me. "Why can't I come with you? Please!"

"No, now go away!" He was beginning to get irritating.

"PLEASE?"

"NO, NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" I smacked him away and pressed on. I glanced over my shoulder, and he was still behind. _Argh! Do all Hatake's stalk people or something?_ I quickened my pace, and so did he. I picked it up to a run, and was disheartened to find him still following me, so I ran around a corner and quickly jumped on top of the building. Ryushin followed me around the corner, but I was not there. I unfolded my wings and flew up to the top of the mountain under my invisibility jutsu.

I arrived at the top of the mountain in a few minutes and stopped in the old post village. _This is my third time to return, since then How long has it been?.._ I walked through the barren city and to a small cave, blocked off by a stone. Forming hand seals, the rock slowly moved to the right, revealing the entrance. I walked into the cave, and just as I turned around to move the boulder back, a shadow slid past me. I took no notice, but closed the cave, leaving me in total darkness. Luckily, my dragon half allowed me to see well in the dark, so I quickly made my way down the tunnel, which was actually a flight of stairs. I continued to go down for sometime (about 30 minutes) when the cave finally stopped. I put my hand up against the wall which blocked my passage. I did the same thing as before, and moved the rock over to the side, allowing me out and into the open.

I put my hand in front of my face to block out the sudden burst of light. As my eyes adjusted to the light I looked around my old home town. The sky village. It looked just like a modern day city, with tall buildings and narrow streets, except, there were no cars, since there was no way for them to obtain fossil fuels. I went over to the fence on my left and looked down. I was a million feet in the air, and all I could see were clouds. Its funny. To get to the country in the Sky, you have to go down. I never really understood how that worked, but I didn't want to try and figure it out, anyway. The cave was in a quiet park, and it looked a little out of place, but people knew what it was.

A gasp startled me as I flicked around and my heart skipped a beat. There, in the entryway of the cave, stood Ryushin.

_...to be continued._


	45. Chapter 46

**First Day as Sorakage**

I woke up at 4 in the morning and slapped my clothes on. My head was ringing with the orders issued out to me by the lead nurse, who apparantly had gotten a bad impression of me. She was always complaining about my habits and the food I ate. Luckily, I only had to see her for meals and mornings. I stepped out of my door, leaving the screaming Greidel behind. My room was right next to the Sorakage's althought it wasn't as extravagant. I saw Ryushin coming down the hallway in the customary butler outfit.

"May I help you, madam?" he said jokingly.

"Why yes, Ryushin, my dear," I said in my most fancy, high-class voice. "You may wake up young master Yoko."

"I'm not so sure. Greidel might get mad at me," Ryushin stopped our ongoing joke. I asked Yoko to make him our butler/secratary while I was in office or at least, until we could figure out what to do with him, and he also gave me a room next to his, which he tries to visit as often as he can, despite Greidel's protests. Today was going to be my first day as the Sorakage's substitute. I'm supposed to work behind the scenes-even Yoko agreed to this-and pretend to be Yoko. If the public finds out that they're leader is deathly ill, it might cause a panic. Especially since it was _me,_ who was being the sub.

**flashback**

_I flicked my head around to find Ryushin. "YOU IDIOT!" I rasped at him, the sudden need to be secretive overwhelming me. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU FOLLOW ME?!"_

_Ryushin was too stunned to answer._

_I shook my head. "Do you realize what you have done? This village has remained a secret for years, and now you, an outsider, has found it. I'm sorry, Ryushin, but I'm going to have to keep you here."_

_He finally snapped out of his shock. "What? You're holding me prisoner?!"_

_I shook my head. If only I could. "No. You're lucky I'm not a bad person. Though I am going to have to keep you here. I'm sorry, but you'll have to remain here for a while, until Yoko-sama regains his health. You can stay with me, under my protection, and act as a regular citizen of this city, but you'll have to get rid of that head band."_

_Ryushin quickly took in the information and nodded solemnly. He got over things quickly. He took off his headband and began to put it in his jacket pocket. _

_I grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry, but we'll have to get rid of it for good. We can't risk being found out or its both our heads."_

_Ryushin looked up at me with worry, but I took the headband from him and chunked it high into the air. It flew up and over the fence, and back down to Earth. Ryushin ran to the fence to watch the last traces of his ninjahood fall through the clouds. I felt sorry for him, but it was for the best._

**end flashback**

I was dissapointed to find my job being nothing, but paperwork. It was mainly just bills asking to be passed and petitions and reports from our ninja squad's patrol around the city. I was _so_ bored, I couldn't even focus on the work. Of course, Greidel made sure to stop by and "check" on my health. What was her freakin' problem, anyway?

Luckily, Ryushin stayed by my side most of the time when he wasn't called to help Yoko. He was actually a really nice guy. He was always spewing out compliments about me and he had this immense passion for dragons. (Like little giddy schoolgirls and horses.) I loved having dragon discussions with him. I really wanted to brag about me _being_ a dragon, myself, but my concious cowardness kept me from opening my mouth. I was too afraid he would treat me differently like other people did. Yoko has been the only one to treat me exactly the same as he did before. I didn't want to ruin a new, and most dire, friendship.

I had an interesting evening though. I was finally finishing the last of the reports when I was delivered an entire shop's worth of flowers. My office was full of them. Apparantly, they were sent to Yoko, but since I was the current Sorakage, and in place of Yoko, they were sent to me.

_People really care about him_, I thought with a smile on my face. _I can see why, too. He's come, himself, to check on me many times. Not that he doesn't think I can do the job, it's just that he feels like he's slacking off of his work._

"You're-" I said to him one day, but was interuppted by Greidel.

"-really shouldn't over exert yourself, sir. Your body is much to weak for you to check on _her_."

I glared at her for the emphasis on that last word, and she gave a disapproving snort.

Yoko slapped her hand away as she tried to tuck him back into bed. "I can take care of myself perfectly well, thank you. Besides, I don't trust anyone to check over the work."

"But, sir, you have m-"

"No, not even you!"

I gave Yoko an angry look. "I think I can handle the job, sir. You may be a genius, but I'm not an idiot. Remember, I'm older than you. You should obey your elders."

"I have more authority than the elders," Yoko retorted with a triumphant smile.

I had no come-back. Greidel gave me a scornful look before taking his dinner tray out. Once we were sure she was really gone, Yoko gave me a curious look. "If you had said 'sir' any more impolitely I think she would've decapitated you right here, right now."

"Oh, well. Oh, hey, your office is full of flowers now. Apparantely wind of you being sick leaked out into the village. They really love you."

"I know. I'm just sorry to let them down."

"Let them down?! Dude, you've doubled our country since you've been in office. That's pretty good if you ask me. All problems are instantly solved by you."

"Except for the worst one." He looked extremely glum.

"What? The village is fine."

"No. We're so ignorant and inexperienced. We're like a bunch of spoiled kids who didn't get what they wanted on Earth so they ran away to the sky. We're cowards, Sarafu. We'll eventually be found. It's only a matter of time. Sarafu, I'm telling you, and only you, this because I fear that I might not live to see this day. Sarafu, I want to ground the sky village."

_...to be continued. _


	46. Chapter 47

**The Loss of the Greatest Hero is Never Easy to Forget**

It's been about a week since Ryushin and I have first come to Sora. Ryushin seems to be fitting in just fine with the other staff members as my personal assistant, but Yoko doesn't seem to be doing so well. Everyday, he seems to be getting worse and worse. I walked into his room the other day. He couldn't speak anymore, his throat was so clogged up. His face was deathly pale and he sweated constantly, although he claimed to be cold. He couldn't even turn his head to look at me, he was so weak. Greidel came up to me, but this time, with more fury than ever. "Get out of here, Filth!" she lashed out at me with her sharp tongue. "Ever since you came, all he's done is get worse and worse!"

"Are you saying that its _my_ fault?!" I gaurded myself. "Are you suggesting that I gave him a cold?! I haven't been sick a day in my life!"

"He's got pneumonia!" She cried out at me as tears began to stream her face. She pushed me out and locked the door. I was too stunned to object. Her sobs could be heard from the hall and I just stood there, staring stupidly at the door.

_Yoko has pneumonia?! That's not possible. He said he only had a cold. He was fine! He was getting better! How could this happen?! What will I do if he dies?! I can't be Sorakage without him?! He's too good! I could never live up to the peoples' expectations! I need Yoko! I can't do this alone! I can't care for the entire village alone!_

As if to answer my distress, Ryushin suddenly came around the corner. "Oh, hey, Sarafu! Wha-" He stopped abruptly when he noticed the blank expression on my face. "Sarafu, what's wrong?! What happened?!" He put his hand comfortingly on my shoulder, but I barely felt, my body was so numb.

"Yoko has pneumonia," I said simply. The words felt foreign on my tongue. Strange, and unbelivable. "He's more than likely going to die soon."

"Don't say that!" Ryushin said, but didn't look too believing himself. "Have the medicale ninjas looked at him?"

"Of course!" I said as my hand slapped Ryushin away, suddenly irritated. I ran away from him, abruptly sick of all humans now. I ran out of the Main building, stopping for breath just outside the front door. People who happened to walk by the building at that time, looked at me warily, but continued on their way, seeing as how I wasn't any of their problem. I heard the voice of Ryushin calling out to me from inside the Sorakage's building. I hastily looked around for somewhere to hide. Since I could find none, I opened out my wings with my jutsu and flew up higher into the sky, and then leveled myself out to fly left, towards the edge of the city.

I finally stopped to a spot where the Sky Village experts had remade a small beach, which replicated one off of Nagasaki in Japan. The water wasn't as wide as any real ocean, but it streatched pretty far to where it almost touched the horizon. Sunset had approached and the orange light reflected off the calm waters that rippled slightly. I landed on a rock, where I sat and sighed. I stared blankly off at the calm waters as I let my mind sort things out. I would be so lost without Yoko. He had always been my best friend in Sora. Actually, my only friend. If he died, I would. . .

Time seemed to pass by slowly, until my little daydream was interrupted by a hand on my shoulder. "Ryushin! I told you, I-" I was surprised when I found that the hand belonged to a little girl about 5 or 6 years old. She had short, wavy blonde hair that sparkled golden in the sunset and came down to her ears and curled up under them. Her clear, blue eyes mirrored the ocean as they gazed curiously at me, with such pure innocence. My face softened into a smile at the little girl. Her visage a new relief.

"Sorry, ma'am, but me name's not Ryushin," She said in a country voice. "It Chu!" She smiled a goofy smile which revealed a missing tooth.

_It seems she hasn't lost all her baby teeth, yet,_ I thought and smiled at the cute little child. "That's a nice name, Chu. My name is Sarafu."

The girl's face lit up in excitement. "Do dat mean dat I can calls you Fu?! Can we's be Chu and Fu?! Pwetty pwease! I've always wanted to 'ave an oldah sistah wid da same name!"

I smiled sympathetically at the little girl. "I don't mind it. If you want, I can pretend to be your older sister. Do you not have any other siblings, though?"

"Oh, sure!" Chu cheered as she spun in the sand with her heel. "I 'ave a little brodah, but 'e's always such a pain! He makes messes, but is too young ta clean dem up, so I has ta. Especially since mum is gone."

My heart wrenched at those last words. "You're father is. . .gone, also?"

"Yeah," she stopped her spinning to stare out to the sea, with a distant look. "He died abouts a year ago. Now it just me and brodah."

My heart hurt as I looked at the chippy girl with sympathy tugging at my eyes. I wanted to hug her tightly and give her so many things! Anything, just to make her happy! But. . .that smile. That carefree smile on her face.

"Chu, how can you smile like that?"

She stopped and looked curiously at me. "Smile like what?"

"After all that has happened to you. How can you still smile like you are the most blessed child on the Earth?"

She stood silently for a while, thinking. "Because I am."

Thos words sunk deep into my mind. I will remember them forever. _I am. . .I, too, am blessed. Why have I been moping around here. He's not dead yet! I must find a way to save him! But how. . .._'

I suddenly stood up, nearly knocking Chu over. "I KNOW! Tsunade-sama! Oh, thank you, Chu!" I hugged the little girl tightly, and then left her, flying into the air.

I arrived back at the Main building, and flew in through my office window. I quickly found a brush, ink, and paper, and wrote a speedy letter to Tsunade, making sure that my urges were clearly expressed. I quickly finished the letter and flew back outside. I formed handseals, and summoned Konkichii, to deliver the letter. He simply nodded and did as he was told, flying up then diving down, straight towards Konoha. I clamped my fists together and prayed that the letter would make it in time.

My prayer worked. However, Yoko didn't make it in time. Tsunade replied to my letter, that she would examine him, but Ryushin sent word from Greidel that he had passed away. My last true friend had passed away at the age of 10. I was now all alone, and officially Sorakage. For good. But I couldn't celebrate. When I heard the news, I crumpled Tsunade-sama's reply letter.

_I swear, Yoko, that I will make your dream a reality. **I will ground the Sky Village.**_

_...to be continued._


	47. Chapter 48

**A/N: **I've been working on Sarafu's story so much, that I can't write any of my other stories, without getting off topic. Its fun to read my story. Don't you agree?

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

**I Hate Funerals**

I let out a tired sigh as I kicked off my dress shoes. I plopped into the nearest chair and stretched my legs with a yawn, wrinkling my formal, black kimono. I rubbed my weary eyes. They were red, but not from crying. No, I was past weeping. Now, all I wanted was a good night's rest to meet the new, and obviously, difficult day ahead. The last of my strength was spent on trying to keep my suddenly heavy eyelids from shutting, but my strength left me. My eyes closed and-

a loud knock. I jump up into a straight position, alert to everything around me. "Ryushin," I sighed with relief, as I melted back into my chair. I took deeper beaths to try and calm my racing heart.

"I'm sorry," the white-haired boy smiled with chagrin. "Did I frighten you?"

I waved my hand at him lazily. "No, no. My nerves are just weak, at the moment. What is it?"

He walked in and closed the door behind him gently. Then he took the liberty of seating himself in the chair across from my desk, which I was sitting in the massive leather chair behind. He looked at me with that content smile of his. "Nothing, really. I just thought you might need some company after Yoko-sama's funeral." His smile widened slightly. "I'm glad to see that you don't appear to."

I let out a chuckle. "Yeah, well after standing in a dense crowd for a few hours, I'm a little sick of people. I hate funerals. They always miss the point. Make you feel bad about things. Feel bad for the dead." I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh at this, which baffled Ryushin. "Lucky dogs have no more worries. Although Yoko didn't get to finish his dream, he's probably lounging up there with no stress at all, knowing that I'll take everything from here. Now I know what that stupid smile of his was about." My smile softened and I fought the burning in my eyes. _No! You're past tears, remember? Don't cry for that little jerk!_

Ryushin's smile turned to one of awe. "You never really thought of him as a little ten year old, did you? You always treated him as an equal." It was more of a statement than a question.

I just shook my head. "It was him who treated me as an equal. Half the time, I could barely keep up with the kid. He was a genius. No, I always treated him as more of an older brother."

Ryushin nodded in understanding. After that, a silence passed between us, each remembering pleasant memories of Yoko.

I was the first to break the silence. "Ryushin," my face turned serious, "I know you don't belong here. You were-or more like you _are_ a jounin for Kumo. When we reach Earth, I will allow you to return to your village. Ours will no longer be a secret."

He merely stared at me in shock. I stared at him, no emotion playing on my face. Although, the night before (the night of Yoko's death) I had been debating furiously with myself on this issue. Now, Ryushin was my only friend. The only person I could trust. Without him, I might be devoured by the Sky Village, but I couldn't force him to stay here. It would only hurt me more, knowing he wished to be somewhere else. I still hadn't decided fully. Part of me wanted him to stay with me forever, but if I was going to be Sorakage, I needed to put other people's thoughts before my own.

He was silent for the longest time, his face never changing from that shocked expression as though he wasn't thinking at all. Then, he closed his gaping mouth and knitted his eyebrows. "What do you mean 'when we reach Earth'?"

A gave a slight sigh of aggravation. I wanted to know what his decision was. But nevertheless, I answered. "It was Yoko's wish to bring the people of Sora back to the ground. You may not know our history, but like all humans, we started on the Earth. But after a terrible Demon-" I stiffened. Ryushin didn't know about me and the Moon Dragon "-destroyed our little village, we used our advanced technology to first live in the mountains away from it, then we moved up into the Sky. We are cowards, Ryu, cowards. It's a disgrace to call ourselves ninja. I plain to strengthen my village by making it face the perils of the Earth. But once this happens, I no longer need to hide. We will be announced to the world, finally. Then, you can leave and tell your village all about us. I will no longer hold you prisoner."

Ryushin smiled. "I'm hardly prisoner, _Sarafu-sama_."

I smiled back. "But you still can't leave. Until now."

Ryushin's smile dropped. He glared at the floor, thinking. Then he lifted his head and gazed defiantly at me. "I'm staying."

My eyes widened. Partly with glee, partly with surprise. I was so sure he would leave. "What?"

"I'm staying." His gaze never wavered, but he smiled gently. "I want to stay by your side. After all, it seems like your gonna need all the help you can get."

I smiled widely. I couldn't contain myself. I leapt out of my chair and tackled him with a hug. "Oh, thank you, Ryu! You don't know how much this means to me!"

When I pulled back finally, his face was glowing red with embarassment. "Ah. . .Y-you're s-so. . .happy." He turned away at his stuttering. Apparantly, he'd never been hugged by a girl before.

I giggled and stood up, facing him, my hands on my hips. "I've got every reason to be happy. After all, I've got a friend."

Ryushin smiled through his blush. "Yeah."

My spirits high, I left Ryu to go check up on my jounins, and see what was going on. Not much. That was obvious. 'Not much' happened in Sora all the time. It was a very boring place. Yoko's death just might have been the most exciting thing out of the entire year. I sighed, knowing that I couldn't count on people to cure my boredom so I got up and looked at the calendar, hoping that a coming holiday just might give me reason to party. Actually, it was nearing the end of summer, but not that the heat ever affected the people of Sora. They barely got any weather up there. It was always cold. My lips curled into a smile.

The Summer Festival.

The seasonal festivals always happened at the end, so that everyone could look back on their memorable times of those few months. The City of Sora would decorate the town like they would on ground if they actually had heat. There were barbeques and cook-off's at the beach. It was a little ritual to remind us the great things of the Earth we abandoned. Sometimes, it was painful to some people, realizing that other people had this all season, while we only got it once a year. But, in my case, that was a good thing. If I am to bring these folk down to Earth, it will be useless if they just go back up. I need them to _want_ to stay.

I continued on, with a new motive. Unfortunatly, when I began to ask for preperations on the Summer Festival, people treated me as if I meant disrespect to the Dead.

"Have you no compassion for poor Yoko-sama?" One lady gaped at me in horror.

I merely said, "More than you do." Which didn't help. Well, for now, I was gonna have to wiat out the funeral day. Everyone was still 'grieving.'

_...to be continued._


	48. Chapter 49

**Preperations Cut Short**

Life seemed to be boring for a Sorakage. They are limited to things they can do. They cannot make a mistake, or they will be disgraced by society. Ridiculed. Insulted. Spited. They are merely an icon for the people. And they are considered the weakest of all. But, it would be the weakest to bring them down.

The Summer Festival preperations were coming along smoothly. I wasn't needed. Ryushin tried to keep me company, but he _was _needed. I merely sat lazily in my office, staring out the window. There was nothing I could do. I couldn't roam the streets. I couldn't visit Chu, for she was also needed. I couldn't leave the office or I would be "slacking off".

"Yoko must've been so happy to leave this place," I sighed as a crow flew past my window. "But, I'll only have to suffer this a bit longer. Once this place is grounded, I'll have a lot of work to do. But still-" I groaned and spun around in my chair. "-this is sooooooo boring!"

I turned the chair around so that I sat facing the back. I leaned over the edge and stared out the window. At times like these, I couldn't help but think about my old friends. Lee, Jin, Hinako,. . .Gaara. What could they all be doing at this moment? Lately, this question had been eating me up inside. And since I don't have any work to take my mind off of it, I've been dying inside. This life was sheer torture for me. I needed to get out, fulfill my curiosity, interact with people. I wanted my carefree Genin life back. I wanted to see everyone again.

I clenched my fists as a lump grew in my throat. I couldn't take this anymore. I needed to get out. Escape. I wrote a note saying I was on an important mission and would return soon. I opened my wings, and leapt off the window sill. It felt so good to fly through the air. I immeadiatly felt free. That office was way too stuffy. Flapping my wings with more force, and dove over the high walls of the city and down into the sky.

After my scenic flight, I landed on a tall building inside Konoha's perimeters. I took out my old Konoha head band and tightened it on my head. It had been years since I last worn this thing. About 2 years to be exact. I smiled nostalgically, and folded up my wings. I climbed down the building and began to walk through the town. I couldn't help, but have a big grin on my face at seeing the old ninja village again. It held so many happy memories. I was surprised that I didn't meet up with anyone. Usually I would see at least one person I recognized. I shrugged it off.

_They must all be off on missions or something_, I thought to myself and continued on. I stopped when I found myself in front of the Hokage's office. It has been two years since I last saw this building. A feeling of uneasiness rose up in my stomach. How would everyone react when they saw me? Will they be angry? Will they hate me?

I decided that it was stupid to just stand there all day, so I took the difficult step up the stairs and into the Hokage's office. I knocked before I came in, and felt a strange lurch in my stomach when I heard a familiar voice answer for my entry. I walked inside and found Tsunade staring at me with shocked eyes. Her mouth dropped open, and I felt my face get hot. I expected this kind of reaction, but it still made me feel embarassed.

"S-Sarafu?!" She managed to say in surprise.

I nodded. "I've come back to pay a visit, Tsunade-sama."

She managed to regain her composure. "You sure have a lot of guts to come back after you disappeared. Where have you been?!"

I froze. To Tsunade, the Sky Village had been destroyed and I had no home. I smiled and cocked my head to the side. "You'll find out soon enough. So, where is everybody? I wish to say 'hi'."

Now, Tsunade's face seemed grim. "I'm sorry, but there's trouble."

I looked at her strangely. Her serious mood confused me, but I didn't realize the ground of the situation. "What trouble?"

Tsunade looked at me with cold eyes that unnerved me a bit. "Gaara was kidnapped by Akatsuki."

I didn't move. I didn't speak. I didn't think. I was still, as though time had stopped suddenly. My knees nearly buckled, but I caught myself, no my mind and my heart began to work. I gasped for air. "Is that where everyone has gone?! In search of him?!"

Tsunade nodded. "I don't know how its going so far, but Gai's team and Kakashi's team have all gone in search of him."

I slammed my hand against the wall. "They won't be enough! I'm going too!"

"I won't try to stop you. It seems to me that you no longer belong to Konoha. You're hiding something from me and I know it. Tell me, Sarafu, where is Hinako?"

I stopped and turned back to her. "What do you mean? She's not here?"

Tsunade shifted in her seat. "No. She left the day after you did. I figured that you two were up to something. You really have no idea about her whereabouts?"

I shook my head. _Hinako left? Where could she have gone? How could she have gone? What about Neji? What about Jin? What the hell happened while I was gone?!_

Tsunade observed me for a second and then sighed. "It seems this place is falling apart. Well, I won't keep you. Just, return, okay? We've got a lot of things to sort out."

I looked at Tsunade, my strangled expression gone, now full of with seriousness. I nodded my head. "Un." Then I ran out of the office. I opened my wings and flew onto the roof. I needed to get there as soon as possible, and I wasn't fast enough. I summoned Moregayo, and he grumbled at me as usual.

"Shut up, Moreagyo! This is an emergency! Gaara's in trouble! I need to find him as soon as possible!"

He glared at me. "That's a sharp tongue you have there, missy. I would watch it if I were you!"

"Dammit, Moregayo!" I screamed, my eyes threatening to burst into tears. "This isn't the time! Please, just help me find Gaara! I have to save him!"

Moregayo glared at me, but submitted. He lowered himself so that I could climb on. I flung my leg over his side like a horse, and he shot into the air. I nearly fumbled backwards from the sudden blast of air, but I gripped him tightly with my legs, and by sheer abdomen power, I righted myself. Although it was very uncomfortable, it was necessary. I needed to find Gaara as soon as possible. I could only hope he wasn't dead before I got there.

_...to be continued._


	49. Chapter 50

**A/N: Yes! The Ninja Life of Kichino Sarafu is finally completed! And I'm giving you the last chapters in one big encore!! I'm wokring on the sequel, Possessed, right now. It might take longer than this one, but its gonna be hella tight!! Stick around for Volume 2!!!**

**Unexpected Encounter. Eternal Rivals.**

My heart was beating in my head, yet it seemed to not be there at all. I could feel the blood pumping through my veins. I was getting anxious. Moregayo said that he caught scent of bloodshed a ways off from here, but how were we to be sure that was even the right way?

After a while, I began to get agitated. This was driving me nuts. The love of my life was in danger, and I had no idea where he could be. I soon found myself in the direction of the Sand Village. The desert was dry and lifeless. It was empty. It left me with a bad feeling. Just as we were beginning to change direction, a great wall of ice blocked our path. Moregayo, going at such a great speed, couldn't stop and smacked into the wall. He disappeared in a poof, and I fell to the ground. I looked around in anger.

"Dammit! I don't have time for this! Who-"

I stopped in mid-sentence. I found my perpetraitor. It was Hinako. She was wearing a long black robe with red clouds on it, and her hair was as snow white as I remember it. She was smiling at me.

"Sarafu. It has been so long. It seems you were in such a rush you didn't even stop to say hello to me. And even after I came all this way to meet you."

I didn't react to her cocky manner. I was too surprised. "Hinako?" I finally managed to get out. "Where have you been? Tsunade told me that you left the village right after I did. Where did you go?"

Hinako's face pulled into a tight smile, that wrinkled her eyes and gave her the look of a fox. "To Akatsuki. I'm a member now."

My face hardened, but I wasn't still like I was with Tsunade. "WHAT?! Akatsuki?! Does that mean-?!"

"Yes," Hinako interrupted. Her foxy smile looking all the more ugly to me. "I'm sure by your rush here that you've heard about Gaara. Wherever you went, it obviously wasn't secluded enough. We're going to take the one-tailed Shukaku from him, and I must tell you, the side-effects will cost him his life."

"What?!" I roared. My blood felt thin with how fast it was rushing. My heart was merely a flutter. "You're going to kill Gaara?!"

Hinako nodded, as if she were explaining something simple to a child. "You'll be happy to know that I suggested it, although I really didn't expect you to find out. I figured you went back to the Sky, where you belonged. But I was hoping that you would return here, so that we could have a little reunion fight. Too bad Jin doesn't know anything about this. He still has no idea where we've gone. I'm sure he misses his 'big sister' so."

Hinako laughed. It was a relieved laugh, like she had been holding it in for all the time I met her. What happened to her? How could Hinako have become like this? Sure, she was always cold and distant, but never. . .evil. She reached behind her and whipped out her scythe. In my shock, I had missed that detail.

"Now, Sarafu, we must say farewell. Forever!"

She charged at me, and I was too shocked to move out of the way, and she sliced my arm open. That woke me up, and I leapt away from her, whipping out a scroll. She moved towards me, again, and I managed to finish my encantation. Dodging her attack, my two swords, Life and Death appeared out of the scroll. I grabbed them quickly, and blocked Hinako's next attack. She seemed absolutely delighted.

"Oh, poor, poor Sarafu. It seems you can't teach an old dog new tricks. You'll never defeat me like this."

I grimaced at the ego attack, and charged her. She flicked her hand in the air, saying "Ice Shards!"

"What?!" I gasped in surprise, but managed to dodge and block a few of the shards. The rest launched themselves into my flesh. My eyes were wide with horror. How in the world could she perform a jutsu without any hand signs? That's impossible! Well, I can do it too, but. . .

Hinako laughed aloud. "Oh, Sarafu, while you have been sitting away, doing whatever it was you were doing, I've been training, every minute of my life, to get into Akatsuki, and when I found out this neat little trick, they welcomed me with open arms. I can perform these simple jutsus with just a flick of my hand. I've done nothing but get stronger these past years! There's no way you can beat me Sarafu! You're still Academy level compared to me!"

She shoved her scythe into the ground and declared "Ice Element; Frozen Typhoon!" I looked up in horror, as a great wave of frozen water began to generate itself from the scythe. It loomed like a skyscraper in front of me. It was so huge. There was no way I could avoid it. Instead, I began to slice the air above me with both my swords, and as the wave came crashing down on me, I had gotten so fast, it was almost a blur. I began to slice the ice as it poured down on me. By the time the ice had settle onto the ground, the place was covered in shattered ice. But there was a hole where I stood. I had crushed the ice around me, so that I was untouched. However, that manuver did cause me to sweat, and breath a little more heavily.

Hinako smiled at me somewhat with pride. "I'm glad. It would've been a shame if this ended so soon. Come at me Sarafu! Just try and kill me!"

I couldn't see her from the deep hole of snow I was in, but I could just imagine the cocky smile she had on her face at that moment. It agitated me, somewhat. I shoved Life into the ground, and carved a circle into the untouched ground. Like a burst of pressured water, trees began to grow out of the ground at the speed of sound. They burst through the ice, and brushed it aside as if it were air and thundered their way towards Hinako. I was on one of them, where I could be protected, but get a good view. I was right. Hinako did have a cocky smile on. I was getting angry. I remembered years of abuse and insults I had taken from Hinako. How much she had bullied me. Upstaged me. Now, I didn't see her as a friend who had betrayed me. I saw her as a caniving enemy. And this enemy had threatened the life of my true friends. I was going to stop her, at the cost of her life.

"Hinako!" I called out from the river of trees. "Today, you die!" Hinako's face turned serious, and she ran to the side to dodge the barrage of trees, but they just began to grow in the direction she ran, as if it were water. It spread out, and blocked Hinako from all sides. There was no choice for her. She would have to destroy them. She leapt into the air, and began to slice a hole in the cage of foliage. However, the other trees began to wrap their branches around her. I smiled. _I've got you now!_

I was wrong. Hinako chuckled, and then her scythe began to glow with a white chakra. It flew from her hand and began to slice up the wood holding her. And, when Hinako was free, it came my way, flying through the air. It seemed that Hinako wasn't too old to learn new tricks. What other techniques had she learned during my absence? I fought the scythe, but foolishly, averted my gaze away from Hinako. I was too late to react when she shoved a kunai into my back. I coughed up blood and fell from the branch I was standing on. That was to my luck, because if I had stayed there, I would've been sliced to pieces by Hinako's scythe. But, I was falling to my doom, and I had a terrible gash in my back now. Everything wasn't going to hurt like hell. I landed on the hard ground on my side. It knocked the breath out of me. I was too busy gasping for air to run away from Hinako, when she grabbed my neck and lifted me from the ground. It didn't help my breathing problems. I grabbed her hand frantically, trying to release her grip. My legs kicked around, but they never seemed to hit her. My lungs began to hurt as she closed her hands around my neck, with that psychotic look on her face.

"Sarafu, its a shame that I must kill you now before you can see the corpse of your dearly beloved, but I'm afraid our meeting here must be cut short. I'm needed back at the base. I hope this won't come between our freindship."

She squeezed harder and my eyes began to roll into the back of my head. It hurt. It hurt so much. Everything was blacking out. But my mind seemed to be perfectly fine.

_I don't want to die! I want to live! I want to breath! I need air! I can't move my body any more! Oh, I don't want to die like this!_

**_Then don't_**, a voice inside my head answered me. It was deep, but high-pitched at the same time. It made it hard to tell wether it belonged to a man or a woman. But it did radiate a familiar sense from it. **_Live. Thrive. Kill. Feed. You don't have to die here. I can help you._**

_H-how? Who are you?_

_**Silly Hatchling. I've been with you all this time, and you do not recognize me? Well, you do ignore me after all. Everytime I come out at the Full Moon, you always ignore the transition and wake back up with no memory.**_

_You! You're the. . .Moon Dragon?!_

_**Yes! I am. Now, we both need this body of yours. And its been so long since I've seen the outside world, why don't you let me out, huh? I want to feast!**_

The way the voice said 'feast' made me shudder mentally. It tortured me. I could feel its urgings. Its beastly wants. I wanted to eat meat. Tear into the flesh and bone. Drink the blood. Quench my hunger. I wanted to burn those foolish humans. Let them suffer and turn to ash. Let them realize in their few moments who was the stronger beast on this pitiful planet. Make them regret all their actions.

I gasped. A little surge of air filled my lungs, but it was just enough to make me open my eyes. Everything was a blur, but I could distinctly smell human. A delicious human full of delicious seasoned chakra. She was ripe and good for the kill. The perfect prey. My grimacing lips curled into a smile. Fangs began to protrude from my mouth. My hands, which had become limp grasped Hinako's arm harder, my newly formed claws cutting into her flesh. She let out a little yelp of pain and let me go. Or, it was more like I pulled her hand from my throat. This sudden surge of power flowing through me was exhilerating! I could feel the rush of the hunt. My heart pounding in my head. The delicious sight of the terrified prey. The lovely feeling of my teeth sinking into the muscle. I heard a scream of pain as I realized that I had bit Hinako's arm.

She sliced at me with her scythe. Although it didn't cut me, it did make me release her and back away. "You freak!" Hinako spat at me with frantic eyes. "Are you a cannibal or something?!"

I chuckled. This whole situation seemed amusing to me. I could feel my wings folding themselves out of my back, but they seemd to be growing, getting bigger.

"**No**," I answered her, but it didn't seem to be me who was speaking. "**I'm a Dragon**!"

_**Now, I'll show you, Hatchling, my real power.**_

_...to be continued._


	50. Chapter 51

**Dragons Are Carnivores**

It felt as though I had become seperated from my body. I seemed to watch the transformation on my body from above, but I felt it all the same too. I felt my body grow larger, morph in shape, grow scales, my hair flow down my spine to become a mane. I felt the bones in my leg shift to form hind legs. I felt my neck stretch out longer and longer till it was nearly the length of my body. I felt my nose and jaw jutt from my head and form a snout. I felt my entire transformation and it hurt like hell.

I was shocked when I found my body fully transformed into a dragon. I was beautiful in a fierce sort of way. My silver body had elegant composure. My eyes were a deep blue, like sapphires. My silver mane seemed like strands of silver that glistened like a waterfall flowing over my neck. The horns on my head were smooth but sharp. My dragon self was an ice-cold beauty. It sent shivers of delight down my non-existant spine.

It seemed as though Hinako felt the same, for she was gazing up in awe, frozen stiff. I felt a sudden sense of mirth in my belly, and couldn't help but laugh aloud. At the same moment, the Dragon laughed aloud, a deep, enchanting laugh. This seemed to awaken Hinako. She grabbed her scythe tightly, and began to run under the dragons belly, to try and slice it up. I sighed, as did the Dragon.

**_Everyone always thinks it's the dragon's underbelly that is the weakest part, but, in fact, it's the strongest_**, the voice in my head said to me.

"**Everyone always thinks it's the dragon's underbelly that is the weakest part, but, in fact, it's the strongest**," the dragon spoke in a deep voice that was very similar to the one inside my head.

Hinako soon realized this as she found that all her attacks left not even a scratch on the dragon's underbelly. The scales there were as hard as titanium. The Uchiha snarled and ran out from under the Dragon, and faced its back.

_**This prey is very foolish. It gives me little excitement.**_

"**This prey is very foolish. It gives me little excitement**."

Hinako sliced the ground behind the Moon Dragon and yelled "Earthquake!"

The ground beneath the dragon began to shake, and I felt a little shudder as if someone was shaking me very slightly. It tickled a little. The dragon seemed to be of the same mind, because it let out a little chortle, as did the voice in my head. But I was confused slightly.

_How could Hinako make an earthquake? She only knows Ice Element justus, which is made of Water and Wind Element. She's never known rock!_

_**Silly Hatchling. This isn't an Earth Element jutsu. She merely created some ice in the ground, which is causing it to move and shake. Don't worry, once the rock and ice find their respective places, the Earthquake will stop.**_

_Then why did she create the Earthquake in the first place if it doesn't affect you at all._

_**Because, she is using it as a distraction, see?**_

I looked down from my spiritual place above and saw Hinako running in a circle around the dragon. She was chanting and forming hand signs. That peaked my interest. If this was a technique that needed handsigns for Hinako to use it, then it must be powerful. The Dragon seemed unconcerned, however. It merely waited for its prey to finish its silly attack. Finally Hinako stopped, shoved her scythe into the ground, and clasped her hands together.

"Ice Element; Fifth Sequence: Eternal Frost!"

The Moon Dragon snorted. As did I. The ground beneath me turned white, and I realized that it was ice. The ground had iced over, and I shivered at the sudden cold. Then, my feet felt a sudden pang of daggers. I looked down and saw that my foot itself was fine, but it was going numb, I couldn't move it anymore. I looked over towards the Dragon and noticed that its right hind leg had been frozen over. The dragon growled in frustration as it tried to move its body, but the ice was crawling up its leg. I could feel a great, painful cold crawling up my leg also. It hurt, and my leg was turning blue.

_**Hurry! Help me pulled leg from the ground! Only then will the jutsu stop! I need your strength! Help me! Anything that happens to me will happen to you also!**_

The dragon was right. It seemed to be experiencing the same pain as I felt. _But how? It seems as if I'm a spirit up here._

_**Your will power! This is your body also! You are connected! Will your foot to move as if you were still in your body. Hurry, its going to reach your waist soon!**_

I nodded, and frowned in my concentration. I tried to move my leg, but it seemed as if my muscles had been frozen in place. I grabbed my leg with my hands and pulled on it. My leg didn't move, so I pulled harder. My gut felt like it was going to burst and I was already sweating.

**_Harder! _**(That sounds so dirty.)

My arm muscle flexed as I pulled on my leg.

_**Harder!**_

I clenched my teeth from the strain and reared my head back.

_**Harder!**_

I let out a yell and finally my leg moved. The ice on the dragon's leg shattered and I was suddenly sent flying through the air as my leg was released. The dragon let out a roar of triumph and launched itself at Hinako, mouth open and ready for the eating. However, its leg was still a bit cold, so it wobbled about, and Hinako dodged the jaws easily. However, her forehead was glistening with sweat. It seemed that that last jutsu took more from her than it appeared.

_Alright! We've got her! Let's go! Fly!_

The dragon didn't need to be told twice, it let its semi-frozen leg hang limp in the air as it flew after Hinako, gliding low over the ground. Its long neck skimmed the surface, and it held its mouth open and ready. Hinako looked back, from my distance I couldn't see her face, but I could sense her fear. She ran and then turned to the side, but the dragon followed her. She tried this a few times, but she couldn't shake the dragon off.

Suddenly, she stopped and then turned around. "Ice!"

We didn't have enough time to react. Luckily, we were in just the right position at the time to get minimal damage, however, giant blades of ice shot up from the ground. They tore through the dragon's wings, and sliced up its sides, and one of them shot straight through the left fore leg. The dragon let out a shriek of pain, as did I. Silver blood sprayed out into the air, raining on Hinako. I felt tears trickle down my face from the pain. I didn't stop yelling, and neither did the dragon. Its shrieks of pain shook the ground. It writhed on the ground like a gecko's tail that had just been caught off. In its painful squirm, it smacked Hinako with its tail, sending her flying, and scraped by the hard scales. She let out a yelp of pain, but it wasn't heard over the dragon's. When the pain had finally begun to recede we looked over to the side, to see that Hinako had disappeared. She was nowhere to be found. I groaned in pain, as did the dragon.

_**She fled! Damn prey! Doesn't know when its supposed to be eaten.**_

_Don't worry. She'll return, I'm sure. Hinako doesn't like admitting defeat. You must've hit her pretty hard._

The Moon Dragon didn't answer, but let out another shriek as blood gushed out of its wounds. I felt the pain also. Suddenly, I remembered Gaara. I became frantic.

"Gaara! Gaara! I need to get to him quick! He needs me!" I squirmed which seemed to upset the dragon.

_**We can't go anywhere in this condition, and I'm still hungry! Wait! Hold on! There's another victim coming this way. Looks like my hunger will be satisfied after all.**_

_Huh?_

I looked over to the right, and sure enough, there was a figure approaching from the distance, and approaching fast. As it got closer, I could recall familiar features.

"Ryushin?!" I gasped through the dragon. Indeed, it was the Cloud Jounin on his way here on a massive bulldog that must've been his summon animal, cause when he arrived here, it disappeared into a cloud of smoke. He was looking at the dragon in horror and awe. "My god! It's an immense dragon! I've never seen one of this size! And its so badly injured! Who could've done such a thing?!"

He made his way toward the dragon's head, which was a bad idea. It snapped at him, and he was lucky enough to dodge its fatal teeth in time.

_**Meat!**_

_No! _I cried out, ignoring the pain in me. _That's my friend! Don't eat him!_

_**But I'm hungry! I don't care what you say!**_

_No! I won't let you kill one of the only friends I have left!_

The dragon let out a roar, as it struggled to keep control of the body. It must've felt the pain more than I did, because it seemed incredibly weak. I soon won control, and was hit with the full rush of pain as it knocked me senseless. I cried out through the dragon's body and I felt it morphing back to my human form.

When I finally regained control over human limbs, I weakly looked up at Ryushin. He looked surprised. "Sarafu-sama is. . .a dragon?" Then his face turned red and he quickly turned away. "And she is naked."

I realized that he was right. My body had grown too big for my clothes, so they must've been destroyed in the proccess. Maybe it would've been a good idea just to have stayed in the body of a dragon. Luckily, I was laying on my belly, so he didn't see anything too important. I grabbed a handful of my blood which I was laying in, and put my hand on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

I summoned Konkichii who gaped at me. "Girl, you look horrible!"

Ryushin turned his head to see who the speaker was, but I yelled at him. "Hey you! Don't you dare look over here until I'm dressed, alright!? If you do, I'll rip out your eyes out!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" he croaked in an awkward squeaky voice. It was obvious to tell he was completely embarassed.

I then turned my gaze toward Konkichii. "Can you go find me some clothes please? And bandages would be nice too. I'm bleeding everywhere."

Konkichii nodded and launched off into the sky. That left me alone with a flustered Ryushin. I was too tired to lift myself off the ground, and was still in immeasurable pain, but I somehow managed to keep my cool. I didn't like the silence that passed between us, so, through strangled gasps, I spoke.

"Ryushin, what the hell are you doing here? Didn't I specify that you stay at the village."

"Yes," he mumbled like a little boy in trouble. "But, I had a bad feeling about this. It was unusual for you to have something suddenly come up that would request for you to be out of the country. Luckily, I'm the only one that noticed that you were gone. I was worried, so I took the cave entrance out, and summoned my tracking dogs to find your scent. It took a while to get here."

I snorted, which hurt. "I bet. I got here by dragon, you got here by dog. It was lucky for you that I stopped in Konoha first, and then was stopped here by Hinako."

Ryushin was quiet for a minute, then he hesitantly spoke. "If I may ask, what exactly were you doing in Konoha? I thought you planned to never return there."

I was quiet, too, then I answered him. "I was bored. Or, more like, I was lonely. Everyone's been so busy, and I've got nothing to do. Plus, I can't go anywhere outside my office, or the Advisors would throw a hissy-fit. They're always concerned with appearances."

Although I couldn't see Ryushin's face, I could feel the sympathy eminating from him. "I'm sorry. I should've spent more time with you."

"Nah, don't beat yourself up for this. You were busy yourself, and I don't blame you. It seems like you ran the place more than me. Besides, its a good thing I came here when I did. My friend is in trouble and he needs me. I have to get to him now, or else he'll die."

Ryushin stiffened. "Friend? But I thought-" He stopped in mid-sentence.

"You thought what?"

"That I was your only friend."

I was quiet. I stared at Ryushin's back for a long time. Could he be. . .jealous? That I left him for Gaara?

Neither of us spoke for the remaining time, until Konkichii returned with a simple sleeveless shirt and capries. He also handed the bandages to Ryushin, so that when I got dressed, he could bandage me up. Luckily, there was no where embarassing that was wounded. In fact, I only had a few wounds, but they were severe. After they were bandages up, I tried to stand up, but my leg was numb. I stumbled and fell face flat on the ground.

"Sarafu!" Ryushin ran and helped me up, and he yelped in shock when he felt my leg. "Holy-You're leg! It's freezing! What happened to you?!"

I smiled weakly. "One of my old teamates froze my leg. I think it might have frost-bite."

Ryushin gave me his look of sympathy, and then with a determined look on his face, he placed his hands on my leg. "Not if I can help it!"

I looked at his hands and found a green chakra flowing through them and into my leg. I felt the warmth and smiled. I soon regained feeling in my leg, but it was still too numb to move it with complete control. Ryushin held me up on the ground so that I was sitting. "Woah there! You're not fully healed! You have to stay where you are!"

"No!" I cried out in despair and grabbed his shirt. "I can't! I have to see Gaara! I have to help him! He needs me!"

Ryushin looked distressed. "But-"

Konkichii stopped him. "Please. It will do better for her health if she finds out what condition he's in. Not knowing will only drive her insane."

He looked at Ryushin with solemn eyes, which worked their magic. Ryushin finally gave in, and he wrapped my arm around his neck to help me up. Konkichii did the same. They then helped carry me on to where I felt Gaara might be.

_...to be continued._


	51. Chapter 52

**A/N: **OMG! I can't believe I left out this part! I'm so sorry! This is like, the best part ever! I'm sorry, and thanks for reminding me readers.

**Bittersweet Reunion**

We hobbled along for what felt like hours, before the scenery began to change. The desert area began to grow grass, and eventually became a meadow full of rolling hills. According to Konkichii, he smelt a gathering of humans nearby, and we procceeded in that direction. I was so anxious. I wanted to see him. I wanted to see Gaara. I even began to hobble on my own, to help make it go faster.

My heart nearly stopped when a group of people came in sight, they were all surrounding a red-headed figure who sat on the ground. I couldn't help myself. "Gaara!" My shout of delight turned the attention of the others my way, and I ran towards him. More like waddled, but I still made it there. My knees buckled right as I reached him, and I found myself eye-level with him. His familiar sea-foam green eyes stared at me in surprise. No one spoke. I couldn't help, but let my tears flow. I touched his cheek lightly with my fingers, and heard a gasp of disapproval coming from Ryushin and a group of female Sand nins. I smiled softly. "At least _you_ haven't left me!" I embraced him tightly, and he finally managed to get out a word. "Sarafu?"

He held my shoulders and pulled me off of him to get a good look at me. "Sarafu. . .what happened to you?" I then realized that I must've looked terrible after getting shredded by all of Hinako's attacks. Finally a few others I recognized came toward me.

"Sarafu!" I turned my head to find Lee, Neji and Ten Ten standing beside me with compassionate looks. And then there was the blonde-headed boy Naurto, who was already beside Gaara. I didn't know him too well.

"It seems like you had a run-down with Akatsuki as well, Sarafu," an older voice said calmly and I found out that it was Kakashi.

I tried to muster up the nicest smile I could fake. "Yes, it was Hinako. She has joined Akatsuki."

Everyone stared at me in surprise. Even Neji. Which made me surprised. Then everyone became quiet.

As if to break the silence, Konkichii walked up beside me and gave me a sentimental lick on the face. "I'll be going now, kid. Take care of yourself, okay? And if you ever need me, just give me a ring, okay?"

I smiled and nodded as he disappeared into a cloud of smoke. I suddenly became tired, and my eyes became droopy. The world around me seemed to swerve and I lost balance. I fell forward and luckily, Gaara caught me. "You. . .did this for me. . .didn't you?" He asked in a quiet voice.

I chuckled. "Of course, you idiot. You think I'd do this for myself?" Then I fell unconcious.

When I awoke, I was in a bed in a sand-built building, with a very angry looking Ryushin. When he saw my eyes open, he turned on me. "So, was he your 'friend in need'?!" He nearly shouted at me. I squirmed in fear. I had never seen Ryushin angry before.

"Uh, yeah," I answered quietly, hiding beneath my blankets.

Ryushin fumed and began to pace around the empty room. "I don't like him. He hasn't waited on you in here, when you're in critical condition, but I have!"

He seemed quite proud of his last statement, but I felt the need to defend my friend. "Well, he's the Kazekage! He's got more important things to do!"

He was a bit stiffled by the fact of his status, but continued on. "What could be more important than checking to see if you were even gonna live!?"

"Getting the village into order," a voice behind Ryushin answered, which made the cloud jounin jump. Gaara walked past him into the room. He was facing me, but his cold eyes were on Ryushin. "And, I do know about her condition. In fact, I've sent Temari to stay here, and tell me when her condition changes."

Ryushin gazed stupidly at Gaara, then shrugged off in embarassment. I couldn't help but giggle. Gaara then looked at me, which made my face feel hot. I had forgotten how head-over-heels in love with him I was. This seemed to irritate Ryushin even more. I really didn't get what his problem was. I felt a force behind me, lift me up so that I was sitting. I looked and saw that it was Gaara's sand. He then sat on the bed next to me. I smiled at him, but he had his poker face on. He gazed hard at Ryushin. "A minute alone, if you please?"

Ryushin began to protest, but a sharp repremind from me sent him away. Somehow, I bet he was listening outside the door. Gaara then turned to me, but he was glaring at me. It reminded me of that time, the last time I ever saw him before I left, when he was so enraged. I thought he would kill me. I shrunk back into my covers.

"Sarafu, what are you doing here?! Didn't I tell you to stay away from me? Forever! And now look where it's got you! You were on the verge of death, Sarafu! If my medical ninjas hadn't treated you, you would've died! Sarafu, do you understand?"

"Yes," I murmered just loud enough for him to here. I couldn't bear to look at him, so I looked at the wrinkles in the bed sheets.

"Then why in the hell are you here?!"

"Because I. . ." I said quietly again, I felt tears coming again, but I held them back.

"Well?"

"Because I love you, Gaara. I can't just sit still when I know you're in trouble. You would do the same for me, wouldn't you?"

He didn't answer my question. "You bumbling idiot! I swear, this love of yours is gonna get you killed one day! Stop loving me! I'm not worth it! We can't ever be together, even if I wanted to!"

I finally looked up at him, with the same pleading eyes as before. "But we can! I know we can! I can bring the Sky Village down to Earth and then we can be

together!"

He stood up, a dark expression on his face. "Have you learned nothing these past two years? Did you not hear anything I said that day?"

"Yes, I heard all of it!" I stood up, too, facing him with a serious expression. "And everything you said only hurt me more! These past two years have been torture for me! Did you not think of me at all when we were apart?!"

"Of course I did!" His face now was no longer angry, but twisted with distress. He suddenly looked weak and fragile. "I couldn't get you out of my head! But I know there's no point in fantasizing! There's no point in staying with me! You need to forget your feelngs about me!"

"I can't!" I hugged him tightly, and this time, he didn't push me away, but didn't hug back either. "Don't you see, Gaara? There's no way I can forget these feelings even if I wanted to! I will always love you, and I will always protect you!"

"Sarafu. . .I can't love you. You can't love me. It wasn't meant to be, so just leave me alone."

I pulled away from him with a hurt expression on my face. "I've seen you fight, Gaara, and you never give up. So, why are you giving up on me?"

He looked at me with such a painful look on his face, so full of sorrow, I couldn't help myself. I just had to fill him with love. I grabbed his face and pulled it closer to mine. Our lips interlocked, and I suddenly felt everything pour away. Now, there was only me and him. No ninja villages, no rules, no restrictions. I felt him kiss me back and then he wrapped his arms around my waist. I lowered my hands from his face and rested them on his broad shoulders. My heart seemed to lift into the heavens, and I could feel Gaara's heart lift with me. I felt such a calm feeling of joy, that I didn't realize when I had begun to run out of air. I wasn't breathing through my nose, so I had to pull back and gasp for air.

That broke the spell. Suddenly, the terrible world of reality closed in on us, and Gaara's peaceful expression fell from his face. He looked torn. Torn between his heart and his mind. I was torturing him, and I knew it. He backed away from me, touching his lips lightly. "I'm sorry, Sarafu." Then he strode out of the room.

I fell onto the bed. I was panting. My body was hot and I could still feel the impression of his lips on mine. That experience was so wondeful, yet, it probably only worsened things between me and him. I sighed, and then walked up and looked out the room. There was no one in sight. So maybe Ryushin hadn't been listening.

. . .to be continued.


	52. Chapter 53

**A/N: **Disclaimer: Don't own them, pops! OMG! The love triangle appears!! ANGST!!!

**Ryushin Confesses! Sarafu's Termoil**

After my incedent with Gaara yesterday, he seemed to be avoiding me. I expected that, but what really upset me was that Ryushin seemed to be avoiding me also. Was he mad because I stuck up for Gaara? This thought followed me around all day. Since I was rested well enough, the medical ninjas let me roam around and visit, but I had to take short rests.

"Seriously, I don't see why they baby me so much," I told Lee when he visited me that day with the rest of his team. "It's not that big of a deal. I'm fine. I don't feel a single ounce of pain."

"Well, you didn't look too 'fine' yesterday," Ten Ten said. "You were bleeding so much. I wasn't sure if it would ever stop. If that friend of yours hadn't bandaged you up, it might have spilled out right in front of the Kazekage when you hugged him."

I blushed at the thought, but tried to avert the conversation. "Which speaking of, have any of you guys seen Ryushin lately? I haven't seen him since he last visited me yesterday."

"He's probably resting," Lee suggested this time. "He was with you the whole time. He never left your side once. He must've been really worried about you."

I felt my heart twinge. _And I had treated him so badly when I woke up. _"Well, I want to go pay him my thanks. See you guys later."

"Ah, wait!" Lee called out as I began to walk away from him. "The doctor said-"

"Yeah, yeah! I know what that stupid guy said. I'm fine. This place is full of people. If I'm ever in trouble, someone is bound to find me. Besides, do you really think that I'm that weak?"

He couldn't think of anything to say to that, so he let Gai speak. "Ok, but take care of yourself, you hear? I'm sure Kyosuke would hate to see his beautiful students injured!" Then he led his team out.

_Oh, yeah. Mr. Kyo. I haven't seen him in ages either. I wonder what happened to him after we disbanded. But first things first. I've got to find Ryushin and see what's up with him._

It took about an hour before I could finally find Ryushin. He had been assigned a room in an inn not too far from the hospital, which is where I was at. Despite the doctor's orders, I strode out of the building and walked the short distance there. I asked the inn keeper for his room and he gladly told me. Without further ado, I climbed up the stairs and paced down the hall to the room number the inn keeper specified. I knocked on the door and called out his name. I heard a little gasp, but nothing afterwards.

"Come on, Ryushin," I called through the door. "I know you're in there. Let me in. Please?"

There was a few moments of silence, then I heard the door unlock and Ryushin opened it. He looked terrible. His hair was ruffled and messy. And he had bags under his red eyes. He looked like he hadn't gotten sleep in ages. Or, he had been crying a lot. I felt a twang of guilt and walked in. The room was dark, except for what little light escaped the curtains of the window. Ryushin walked over to a small twin bed and curled into a ball. I tenderly walked towards him, and sat next to his moping figure. "Ryushin. . ."

He didn't respond, so I continued on. "I. . .I'm sorry. Lee told me that you were by my side the entire time since I fell unconcious, yet when I woke up, I. . .wasn't very nice. I said some mean things to you just because Gaara was there. So, I'm here to say I'm sorry and thank you."

He got up and looked at me. A weak smile flickered on his lips. "I thank you, but that's not why I'm unhappy."

I raised my eyebrows. This was a surprise. "Then what is?"

He curled back into a ball, facing away from me so I couldn't see his face. "Do you like Gaara?"

I chuckled to try and lighten the mood. "Silly, of course I like him. He's my friend."

Ryushin didn't seem to pick up the humor. "No, I meant, do you like him as more than a friend?"

I was silent. How could I answer him? It was too embarassing. But, why would this make Ryushin sad? Was he- "Yes, I do. But, he has rejected me. He still does." His melancholy mood seemed to be contagious.

He turned to me and looked me straight into my eyes so hard, that it made me avert my gaze. It was awkward when Ryu became serious. "Then, is it true that you can never forget your feelings?"

"How'd you-"

"I'm sorry. I eavesdropped on your conversation, even though it was supposed to be private."

I looked up at him. His face was flustered. "You. . .you saw me kiss him, didn't you?"

Ryushin's face grimaced with an inward pain and he turned away. "Yes. But I ran away after you stopped. By the way he was holding you, I don't think he put his whole heart into his rejection."

I hugged my knees and looked out into the dark room. "I know. I could feel it. He even told me that he loves me, but its his mind I just can't win over. He really believes that there's no way we can live together."

"So, then. . .can you not forget him?"

I chuckled bitterly. "I've had two years to forget him and I still burden him with my feelings. No, I don't think I can ever forget him with the way I am now."

Suddenly, I found myself facing Ryushin, and he was leaning on me. His face was dead serious, and sort of aggressive. It kind of scared me. This didn't seem like Ryushin at all. "Then, I shall help you forget him by filling you with me."

Before I could react, he pinned my arms down, and had his lips on mine. I squealed and squirmed in shock. I managed to break free of his grip. "Wha-Ryu! What the-?!" I crawled backwards, farther away from him. His facial expression was odd. It was sort of pain mixed with yearning. He made his way across the bed towards me. He seemed to look a lot older in the way he looked at me.

"Sarafu, don't look at me that way. I am a man, and I see you as a woman. Don't treat me like some younger brother. I know you look at Gaara as a man."

He was closer now, and his voice had lowered to a whisper. It was sending my heart flying. My face was hot. "I want you to look at me that way." He leaned his face closer to mine, but my mind snapped into place, before my heart could take over. I leapt out of the bed.

"But, Ryu! I just told you! I love Gaara!"

Ryu stood up, and he looked taller than me. Stronger than me. It was overwhelming. "Yes, I know. And I told you. I shall remove him from your mind and your heart, by filling you with only thoughts of me."

He moved closer, and I stepped back, but in the small inn room, that led me up against the wall. He held his arm up against the wall so that I had nowhere to run. "Sarafu, I love you. I've always loved you. And ever since yesterday, I've been thinking. I've realized, that as the way I was, I would never win you over Gaara. Eventually, your feelings towards him would either drive him to the point of killing you, or submitting. I understand that I cannot let that happen. So, I've decided to go on the offensive."

He grabbed my chin to force me to look deep into his dark eyes. "Sarafu, you will be mine."

He let me run away from him as I head toward the door. He had made his point. I stopped to glance at him once more with fear, then I ran out of the inn. My mind and heart were racing.

_What in the world is going on? Ryushin! He's changed so much in just one day! I never knew he-He seemed so aggressive. So much older. Have I really been treating him like a child? But he. . .they way he moved towards me, held, me, captured me. It's just like the way I've always wanted Gaara to act._

When I got back to the hospital my face was so flustered, and I was panting, that the doctors made me go to bed and rest. This time, I obliged without argument. And I told them that I didn't feel very well, so I didn't want any visitors for the rest of the day. There was no way I could stand seeing anybody, let alone Ryushin, or Gaara, for that matter, in this condition. My face must be so red.

I tried, but I couldn't get much sleep that night.

_...to be continued._


	53. Chapter 54

**Rivalry Begins! Gaara vs. Ryushin!**

The next day was absolute torture for me. Ryushin followed me wherever I went. And, to add to the trouble, he kept making confusing moves, like holding me close and kissing me and making refrence to his love for me occaisionally. My heart never rested. I was so tired. Even when I tried to send him away by hanging around Gaara, but that only seemed to make things worse!

Ryushin was constantly picking a fight with him, and trying to best him at even the tiniest thing. The one day that Gaara seemed to be free of his Kazekage duties and Ryushin had to appear everywhere. This guy was really becoming annoying.

"So, Gaara, why don't all of us hit the town before we leave? It will be the last time that all of us will get together like this? What do you say?"

Gaara merely stared at me with his stoic expression, and I could feel a "no" coming, so then I turned on the blonde-headed boy. "Hey, Naruto! Why don't you come along! I'm sure you and Gaara want to have some fun together!"

Gaara looked towards us and Naruto smiled that goofy smile of his. "Of course! This sounds like fun!"

The Kazekage turned away a little. "I guess I might as well go, then. I'm sure the people may want to see their kage around sometimes."

I smiled as my trick worked. But, as usual, Ryushin had to appear and ruin everything. "The only 'people' that want to 'see their kage' are the fine young ladies of Suna. Eh? Am I right, Gaara? You stud!" He elbowed him and raised his eyebrows, in that 'hint hint' sort of way. Gaara just ignored him and walked away so that he wouldn't be elbowed anymore. I was furious. I didn't want to be reminded of the fact that Gaara had plenty of fangirls.

"RYYUUUSSHHIIIN!!" I growled at him. "Don't be so rude to the Kazekage!"

Ryushin laughed, and behind his carefree smile I could see he had a sly look around him. "Sorry, sorry! I was just being friendly!"

The others kinda looked at each other with a 'what the heck's up with him' look on their faces.

That night, we did go out like I proposed. I was planning on making this a date, since not many others would be preoccupied with Gaara, but, as expected Ryu kept between us the whole time. First, we went down Main Street, to check out all the neat shops and tourist attractions, but any time I would try to point something out to Gaara, Ryu would step in and say "Oh, that's so cool!"

When I wanted to buy something, Ryushin would always buy it for me, before I could even give the hint to Gaara. And when we fished for goldfish at one of the booths, Ryushin took the last rod, so that Gaara couldn't. But the worst time was when we stopped at a resteraunt for dinner. Ryu sat in between Gaara and I, as expected, and wouldn't stop glaring at him the whole time. I thought that that was all he would do, until the waiter brought us the bowls of rice. Then Lee suggested a rice eating contest. That's when I sighed and let my head fall onto the table. Naruto gladly took up the challenge, and when that happened Gaara said that it might be interesting. That's when Ryushin joined with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Gaara, this time, you're going down!" He declared at him, pointing his chopsticks accusingly at Gaara.

Although the young Kazekage didn't show any emotion on his face, a little strip of sand rose into the air and crushed his chopsticks.

This aggrivated Ryu. He slammed his hand on the table. "All, right, Kazekage-sama! You're on! Let's make a bet! Winner gets a kiss from Sarafu!"

I lifted my head in shock as my heart sank._ Oh, dear lord! Please let Gaara win! _The others looked from me to the two boys with interest. Kakashi giggled with his head hiding behind his book, and Gai seemed pumped. "Alright! A lively competition between four beautiful youths! Let springtime begin!" He was standing, poised, on the table.

Ten Ten pulled him down. "Sensei, what in the world are you talking about?"

Neji smiled, amused. Apparantly, my love life had become his TV drama.

"I'm cursed," I mumbled into the table as Gai declared the competition begun.

The competition was more like two battles. Lee versus Naruto, who won against him, and Ryushin versus Gaara, who were shoveling rice into their mouths like it would be the last thing they would ever get to eat. Eventually, Naruto gave way, but the two kept going. It was quite amazing really. Their shirts kept expanding, but neither of them slowed their pace. They were up to 30 bowls when finally, they both collapsed, and barfed onto the floor next them. (Since Ryu was sitting in the middle, he turned over his chair and puked.) They then both groaned and dropped their heads onto the table. We all stared at them for a second before Ten Ten asked the much asked the question. "So. . .who won?"

It was Kakashi's turn to speak up this time. "Well, I think since both of them returned about as much rice as they ate, they both lose by default. The winner is Naruto." He then smiled at me from over his book. "Pucker up."

"Like hell, you perverted sensei!" I yelled at him. Then looked at Naruto pleadingly. He just shrugged and said, "Ah, well, could I trade my prize for a kiss from Sakura?"

"LIKE HELL, YOU PERVERTED IDIOT!!" She yelled from the far end of the table and smashed Naruto's head in.

I sighed, relieved. Neji smiled at me. "Looks like you got out of that one."

I pouted at him, glaring with rosy cheeks. "Shut up! You just wait till Ten Ten challenges me for something much worse!"

Ten Ten's face went red. "W-why would I-?"

I laughed and so did the others. Then the waiter came back with the rest of our meal.

"Uggghh! No more food!" Ryushin and Gaara groaned simultaneously.

I giggled. "Gaara looks so cute when he's full of rice!"

I couldn't see Gaara's reaction because Ryushins jealous expression blocked my veiw. "So, does that mean he's ugly when he's not full of rice?"

I punched him in the head, to knock him out of the way so I could see Gaara. His head was turned away a little, and he wasn't looking at me. He had the same stoic expression on his face, but his cheeks were red. I smiled, but frowned as Ryushin came back into the picture.

The day had finally ended by the time we hefted ourselves out of the resteraunt. We all were stuffed, and were tired. (And Gai-sensei was broke now.) We said our good-byes and everyone went their seperate ways. Except, for me, Gaara, and Ryushin. We were making our way towards the hospital when I rose up the question.

"Hey, Gaara. Now that you no longer have the Shukaku inside you, does that mean you can sleep?"

"I'm not sure," Gaara answered truthfully as we turned the corner of the street. "I've tried to, but I'm still too scared to actually close my eyes."

I looked at him with pity. "Have you tried forcing yourself to sleep? Maybe, after you do it a couple of times, your body will get used to sleeping at a certain time."

"I guess."

Gaara was looking away. Ryushin came up to us with a mischevious smile. "Every night when Sarafu and I are together we never get any sleep." He smiled even wider to show his lude refrence. I smacked him in the face and told him to shut up. Then, I gently grabbed Gaara's hand and quietly said, "If you'd like, I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

Ryushin grabbed my other arm and pulled me into an embrace, with my back facing him. "He doesn't need you to baby him, Sarafu. I'm sure the Kazekage will manage fine, won't you?"

I felt a tense atmosphere as Ryushin glared at Gaara. Gaara's forehead wrinkled and his lips formed into a frown. "Then, is she to spend the night with you?"

Ryushin smiled tensly. And used one hand to hold my cheek and pressed his right cheek against my left. "That's exactly the point, my dear kage."

Gaara didn't move. I had just realized that we hadn't been moving for a while. Then, a pile of sand pushed Ryu's hand away from me. "You have no right to even touch her!" He was frowning deeply now, and the sand pushed Ryu back, and pushed his arms away from me so that I was out of his grip. Ryu, frowned deeply and moved away from the sand, his hand was now in the position of a hand seal.

"What do you care? You two weren't meant to be, remember? You wanted her to find someone else, and now she has. What reason do you have to even look her way?"

Gaara took a step forward. "I won't give her to someone like you. Just because I don't want her with me doesn't mean I don't care about her. I'll make sure she has a happy life before I disappear from it."

An arm of sand came up, and dragged me back to him. I looked over at Ryu to see what his reaction would be. He was growling now. Such searing hate was directed at Gaara. "Her life would be happy if you actually _would_ disappear! Why torture her with the thought of 'I do love you' and push her away! Don't say that she tortures you when you keep leading her on!"

Gaara was still. Everything was still. I had to admit; Ryu was right. Gaara must've realized this too, for the sand around me dropped to the ground. Ryu was making his way towards me, when he was stopped by a wall of sand. "Ryushin, you have a valid point. So, I shall correct my mistake. I will not keeping pushing Sarafu away! Since we both love each other, then there is no reason for us to be apart. Sarafu, I will take you up on your offer." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me along with him. I heard Ryushin banging on the Sand wall. I didn't like the way things were going. I squirmed out of Gaara's grasp.

"Stop it!" I yelled at them both. "Stop pushing and pulling me! I can't take it! You two are driving me nuts! Quit playing with me! I don't care if you both love me, but if this keeps up, I'm gonna hate both of you! Good Night!"

Then I ran away. I just had to get away from those two. The air was so tense. And I. . .to them, I was just a prize. Some little treasure to fight over. I couldn't take it. Neither of them thought about what I wanted. Who I wanted to love. I really was becoming aggrivated with those two. I was beginning to wish I had never made friends with Ryushin. Ever.

_...to be continued._


	54. Chapter 55

**Old Teacher, New Lessons**

The next day, we got ready to leave. I was in a sour mood, because I barely got enough sleep for all the crying I did last night. I frowned at the memory and then slapped my cheeks to shove the mood away.

_I'm getting weak. I need to take a break from all this love triangle crap._

I avoided Gaara all day, so I never knew if he wanted to say good-bye to me or not. I would avoid Ryushin if I could, but he followed me everywhere, so I merely shunned his very existence and never spoke a word to him. That seemed to be the worst punishment he could receive and it was working wonders. He always had such a defeated and depressed look about him, and I strangely loved it.

I summoned Moregayo, and after a long arguement, ordered him to take all of us back to Konoha. Gai's team had ridden plenty of times on Hinako's dragons so they weren't at all impressed, but Kakashi's team however wouldn't shut up, or sit still. Naruto nearly fell off twice. At least the perverted Kakashi sat still and didn't make any noise.

We soon arrived in Konoha, at the Hokage's office building. We were welcomed back with many congratulations. And for me, a heated repremind for almost getting myself killed. Tsunade smacked over the head when she found I wasn't listening to her.

"You idiot! Listen to your elders when they are speaking to you! You just get back and now you're already killing yourself."

I brushed her hand aside and stood defiantly. "It would've killed me more not to fight!"

Everyone was silent for a while, looking at me with understanding faces. Giving up, Tsunade sighed. "I understand how you might feel, Sarafu, but please, when you're fighting, don't selfishly let yourself get hurt. There are people who worry about you, me included. I'm sure the Kazekage wouldn't like the idea of you dying for him." Then she made her way to Ryushin and put a kind hand on his shoulder. "And I thank you for watching over our little girl while she was gone."

Ryushin's eyes widened in surprise. "How'd you-"

"Call it wisedom. Now, Sarafu, you better hide yourself while you were here. If Kyousuke finds out you're here, he'll-"

As if on cue, Mr. Kyo barged into the room and hugged me tightly. "Oh, my sweet, dear little Genin! How could you all leave me so! First you, then Hinako, and then Jin! I missed you guys sooooooooo much!"

Then, just as soon as he was crying over me, he turned on me with righteous fury. He slapped my face, which might have surprised me, had I not known him for so long. He was wearing a billowy white shirt with ruffles and frills everywhere. And he had on tight, black leather pants, with a just as frilly scarf tied around his waist. I was surprised by this more than anything. This was the most normal outfit he had ever wore.

"How dare you leave me that way! If you're going to ditch your teacher, ditch me in style! And look at you! You look as bad as Gai! Which, speaking of, is the first person you meet when you come back! You would meet that bushy-browed loser, before you're own beatiful, well-fashioned sensei! I thought I taught you better!"

Everyone stared in stunned silence, including me. This guy must have gone nuts while I was away. "Did being alone make you that crazy?" I asked him.

He gave me a haughty snort and folded his arms. "Whoever said I was alone? Since you guys left me, I got myself another team. Barafu! Hinaku! Lin! Come in and meet one of my old students."

My jaw dropped in disbelief as three kids came in. The first, Barafu, looked almost exactly like me, except her hair was a bit darker, and she was not as pretty. Not to mention she didn't have my eyes. The second, Hinaku, looked almost exactly like Hinako, but her eyes were a green and not black like the Uchiha's. And Lin, as expected by now, looked like Jin, but his hair was green, and he was a bit taller. And they all wore embarassing outfits, with feathery lining in pink and purple shades. Their jackets were skin tight and they had go-go boots on. I had to admit, that even Lee and Gai looked better than they did. The three struck a pose and called out their names. "Barafu, Hinaku, Lin: Present!"

I burst out laughing and leaned on Mr. Kyo for support. "Wow, Kyo-sensei! You sure have got yourself a couple of circus freaks here!"

The three frowned and resumed their normal stances. Mr. Kyo pushed me off and scowled. "Well, they're better students than you were. They obeyed orders without questioning me, and they look good while doing it! Unlike you! You're an ugly girl with ugly clothes, and no fighting skills, either!"

I gasped, taken aback by the insult, then I pointed a shaking finger at his face. "Well, at least I'm not some trans-sexual freak, who can't even tell what gender he is, and, not to mention, is too afraid of a fist-fight, or he might break his nails! Boohoo!"

Mr. Kyo took a sharp inhale of air, and threw his hands up in appallation. "Why I never! You! You! You'll regret that!"

I was too angry and stubborn to stop these next words. "Not any more than I regret having you for a teacher!"

Then I stopped as I realized the deep pain those words would inflict on my former sensei. He stood, with an unchanged face for the longest minute, then he pushed past me and ran out the door, crying. "Sarafu, I hate you!"

His three clones followed him, but not before glaring at me. Ryushin walked up to me and said, "Wow, you made a grown man cry."

I wanted to reply with a witty answer but didn't have the heart to speak. Right now, the thing I truly regreted were those words. "This is stupid!" I grumbled and then walked out of the building. Ryu, of course, followed me. I wasn't in the mood to yell at him, so I tried to ignore his prescence. After walking aimlessly through the streets, I bumped into a familiar figure.

"Oh, Sarafu! What in the world are you doing here?!"

I looked up to find Hinata staring straight at me in awe, along with an equally awestruck Kiba, and a passive Shino. (Whether he was actually surprised or not, I couldn't tell behind his hood and sunglasses.) I walked up to them with a smile on my face.

"Hey, guys, it's been a while, hasn't it? Oh, Hinata, you grew your hair out, it looks good."

Hinata blushed and held up her arms like she always did and managed to stutter out a "thank you." I smiled back at her and then turned back towards Kiba. "It looks like you finally hit puberty."

I could sense his sudden anger as he clenched his fists. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

I laughed a hollow laugh and then nodded my recognition to Shino who nodded back in return. Then I introduced Ryushin to all of them.

"This is Hatake Ryushin. Apparantly, he's appointed himself my bodygaurd; he follows me everywhere."

The ninja team froze. "Hatake?!"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot that we have our own Hatake." I turned back to face the cloud jounin. "Ryu, do you know a Hatake Kakashi?"

Ryu froze and his eyes widened up. "Uncle?!"

This time, I was taken by surprise. I didn't expect them to actually know each other. Further explanation from Ryu told us that Kakashi had a brother, who had a fight with the family and ran away to the Lightening Country. There, he met a woman and married her, thus producing Ryu. Ryu's father was dead, but not before he told him about his uncle.

"I had always wanted to meet, but its not like I can just up and leave the Cloud Village and go into an enemy ninja village."

I smiled. "Yeah, that would've been a little difficult to accomplish. Well, you're here now, so I'll go take you to see him. He was there when Gaara was revived. I doubt he had anyway of recognizing you, since he didn't say anything. But, maybe if you tell him who you are, he'll understand."

We were just about to leave when Hinata spoke up. "Um, since you're back, Sarafu,. . .umm. . .have you spoken with. . .Kyousuke-sensei, yet?"

I frowned. "Yes, but we're having a fight right now."

Hinata gave a look of despair. "Ah, is that so. Well, uh, you two always fought, but I always saw you smiling afterwards, so, umm. . .make up, ok?"

I smiled softly at her. "I'll be sure to do that."

I showed Ryu, towards Kakashi-sensei's place, and left him there to talk. I had to go find Mr. Kyo. I knew we couldn't leave things like this, especially, since I wouldn't be staying here for long. It wasn't too hard to find him. I knew that when ever he was feeling down, clothes shopping always brought his spirits back up. I walked into the Fashion Boutique, and was immeadiatly hit with noise.

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHHAAAAAAAA!!!" A loud voice, I automatically recognized as Mr. Kyo's cried out.

"Sensei!"

I heard the sounds of kids voices as clothes were flown into the air. I was hit with a purple dress in the face. I took a deep breath to try and calm my rising anger, but the many clothes being thrown at me weren't helping. I couldn't take it; I snapped.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" I yelled and the ninja team stopped and stared at me in surprise. Some ninja they are. They didn't even notice I was there.

Then, Lin stood up and pointed an accusing finger at me. "What are you doing here, meanie?!"

I sighed, my anger slowly decreasing. What a stupid world we live in when people think 'meanie' is a great insult. "I came here to speak with Mr. Kyo, if you please."

They glared at me in silence.

I glared back. "Alone."

The pathetic lump that was Mr. Kyo, peered from behind a pair of leather pants. "It's alright guys. Go."

They stood, reluctant, then grudgingly walked out of the clothes store. I took a deep breath and then looked at Mr. Kyo. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. It was going to be hard to put my stubborn pride away for a minute and apologize. Mr. Kyo looked at me with a tired face. His eyes were red and swollen from crying, and his hair was a mess from moving around so much. I crossed my arms.

"Look at yourself, Kyo-sensei. You're a mess. You're shirt's all wrinkled."

I mentally kicked myself. _Idiot! That's not what you want to say!_ "Well, not to say you look bad like that or anything. Any look is good for you. Uh! Not to say that looking bad suits you! Oh! I didn't mean that you look bad, just-"

"Sarafu, what is it that you want to say?"

I stopped my fretting and became silent. I whispered something, but Mr. Kyo couldn't hear. "What was that?"

"I'M SORRY, Okay?! I'm sorry!!"

I was looking down, too embarassed to look up, so I didn't see what Mr. Kyo's reaction was. But I was soon knocked over by a great force. I looked up, to find Mr. Kyo, hugging me tightly and crying.

"Oh, Sarafu! You put your ego to the side for me!"

I forced a smile. "When you put it like that, it doesn't make me sound very good."

Mr. Kyo smiled brightly and fixed his long, golden locks. "I'm sorry for all the mean things I said, too. Let's never fight again! I missed you so much!"

He hugged me with greater strength now, and I nearly choked. "I-eck-missed, eh! you, too!"

He let me go and I gasped for air. "Now, I heard you had a little rendezvous with Gaara. How's your boyfriend?"

I blushed and yelled at him. "He's not my boyfriend!"

My sensei giggled. "Oh, you can hide it all you like, but everyone knows you love him. So, who's the new guy that's been hanging around you?"

I smiled warmly and told my sensei everything, even about the Sky Village. I couldn't contain myself. He was like a long lost girl friend that I never had. Hinako and Ten Ten never helped to boost my feminine side. We giggled and talked to each other for the remainder of the day, and I felt as if a great burden had been lifted off my shoulders. Mr. Kyo was surprisingly understanding. He didn't seem to mind at all that I had been pretending about my past all along.

When nightfall came, we parted and I met up with Ryu. He had a long talk with his uncle and he was going to stay there for the night. I smiled and spent the night with Kyo-sensei, much to the great dislike of his new students. They seemed to get jealous easily. But my happy feelings won't last forever. Eventually, I was going to have to return to my post as Sorakage.

_...to be continued._


	55. Chapter 56

**The Beginning of the End**

How little humans truly know. We will always learn something new about an idea we considered ourselves experts on . We cannot predict the future, nor can we be prepared for it. We can only react. And I fear, I may have reacted too late.

There was little warning to the travesties that lay before me, before Sora, before the entire continent, before humans. The morning was as expected. Everyone was tearful at my sudden farewell, but nothing they said could make me linger. Ryu and I left for Sora upon Moregayo. Anxiety filled me as we ascended into the sky.

When we arrived at Sora, nothing seemed to have changed, as expected. I unsummoned Moregayo, and walked up to the Sorakage's office. Everyone was quiet and isolated as usual. No one inquired as to my location these past few days. I was curious as to why, but savored the moment. Ryu left me to attend to his piled up duties, as I made my way to my office, and much paperwork. I turned the golden doorknob to my office, and pushed open the door. I froze. There, before me, was Hinako.

"A nice little place you have here," she mused, sitting on my desk, gazing around. There was another man beside her. He had long dark hair, and cold onyx eyes that bore through me. He reminded me of someone. . .

"S-sasuke?" I breathed, recognizing a strong resembalance to this man and the boy who had nearly killed me before.

Hinako's haughty smirk disappeared from her face, and the man himself seemed to frown also.

"No, this is Itachi, Sasuke's older brother, as well as mine," Hinako frowned. Apparantly, Sasuke was a touchy subject between these two.

"Sarafu, you must be curious as to our abrupt visit. Please excuse our intrusion. However, we've come for something. Something you have. Might you give us your dragon?"

I took a step back. I knew I could withstand Hinako, but this Itachi man. . .if he was the man who had eluded Sasuke all these years, then there was certainly no way I was a match for him. "You can't have any of them!"

Hinako gave a polite laugh, although I'm not quite sure if you can call it that. "Oh, no, dear Sarafu. We don't want your pet geckos! We want the Dragon of the Moon!"

Hearing this, I turned heel and ran. _So that's why they're here! I need to get the hell out of here! Under no circumstances can I let them capture me! Ryu! Where are you?!_

My anxious thoughts were disrupted by a surprised Ryu rounding the corner and right into my way. We collided, tumbling along the hallway. I rubbed my aching head and gasped as someone grabbed my arm. I turned around and my eyes met the deep blackness of Itachi's. My whole body became still, as if dead for a second. I was swallowed up in his darkness, unable to escape. Then, with a burst of life, my heart began to pound vigorously in my head. Pounding louder and harder, so fast that it might blast out of my chest. I was. . .afraid. No, terrified. I was beyond wetting my pants. I had retreated into the corners of my mind. Screaming silently, so loud that no one could hear. I was frightened by Itachi. His darkness threatened to consume me.

My passivity was interrupted by Ryu, as he yelled, "You! You've come back to hurt Sarafu again?!" By those words, I figured her was glaring at Hinako, and this helped to ease my fear a bit. Hinako, I was not afraid of. "Ryu, hurry we've got to get out of here! Run!" I screamed at him indiscriminately, wrenching myself from what I found to be a not so firm grip of Itachi's. Instead, I grabbed Ryu and high-tailed it out of there, my fear of Itachi suddenly returning.

When I reached the outside of the kage building, something I had hoped never to have happened before did, on this judgement day of mine. The ground beneath me shook. It felt like an earthquake, but Reason told me that that was impossible, seeing as how we weren't on the Earth. _But we will soon be. . ._ This was my last thought before the ground beneath me left my feet. I wasn't falling up, I realized. Sora was falling down. The Sky City of Sora, was falling back down to Earth, and the unsuspecting villages below would be crushed.

As Ryu and I fell, neither of us screamed. The weightless feeling didn't register in our minds, nor anyone else's it seems, for only the sound of the rushing wind could be heard. Then, as I saw the planet drawing closer to me, I began to feel the same fear I did of Itachi. I opened my mouth to scream, but the wind pounding on my lungs, hurt, and instead, I opened my silver wings, flapping against the fast approaching ground with all my might, but Ryu's surplus weight was becoming a burden. Then I could hear the screams of thousands of people, as their minds slowly, too, registered this even as deadly.

_Oh, no! The people! They will all die!_

Just as my thoughts were thought, a silver lining in the sky drifted by. _Silvanoeshi._ I scowled, at the traitorous dragon. Upon it was Itachi, Hinako, and some other person, with long blonde hair, that I couldn't exactly tell what gender they were. I almost locked up, as Hinako looked my way, but her confounded dragon gave me an idea.

"I must summon Takuro to save the people, but I need two hands for this," I yelled over the wind.

Ryu looked up at me, with cold, indifferent eyes. He didn't say anything, and that was painful.

"I'm sorry."

Then I released his hand, and his dense body began its descent to the treacherous ground. Quickly, as if my own life depended on it, I bit my thumb, to draw out blood, and formed the handseals, and with a stormcloud, I summoned Takuro, the Weather Dragon. His enormous emerald body coiled in the sky, forming a green plate of scales, to catch many of the people. However, I fear he wasn't fast enough. Ryu was still falling. "RYUUU!" I called horrificly, and folded my wings so that I free-falled my way down.

The white-haired boy looked at me, fear obviously flooding his face. He held his hand up, to try and reach me, as I did the same to him, falling as fast I could. But I wasn't fast enough. The groud was coming ever closer, but I was getting no closer to Ryu. Not to mention that the entire city was falling along with us. I couldn't save him, and I couldn't save the poor people down below.

_**You wish to save everyone, right? Impossible. You are merely human. **_

I slightly intook some air, surprised at hearing this deep voice so soon.

_I may be human, but you aren't! Please, help me! Help me save these people! _

_**And why should I? What have they ever done for me? If they die, I wil be unaffected. **_

_Please! I beg of you! I'll give you anything you want! Please, just save them!_

**_Alright. I shall, _if_ you give me complete control of your body._**

_But that's-_

_**Take it or leave it. You have plenty of time to debate over this.**_

The dragon's sarcasm was annoying, but he was right. The ground must've been only a hundred thousand feet below them, and every second was a hundred feet.

_Fine! You can have control! Just save everyone!_

_**Aye.**_

I felt the familiar beastly urges take over me, but this time it was different. I wasn't kicked out of my body like before. I was consumed by darkness. Or rather, nothingness. I disappeared.

_...to be continued._

**A/N: **Yes. What happened really happened. Sarafu exists no longer.


	56. Chapter 57

**How Could the Main Character Die?!**

Ryu could only watch as the world around him crumbled. Everything was going wrong, so wrong. He just _had_ to tell Sarafu about his crush on her, and now she hates him. Then, he meets his uncle, who didn't even know he existed, and didn't seem to care much, either! Then, once they get back to Sora, the floating city, falls out of the sky! Along with him, too. Everything was just going downhill. And where was Sarafu? She was right above him when-

Ryu felt his whole body shudder. He had been so enveloped in his thoughts that he hadn't realized the pressure on his back. He flicked around to find himself on silver scaly land, with the sky rushing past them. Ryu soon came to realized, it wasnt the sky that was moving, it was him. He was standing atop an enormous silver dragon, twice the size of any buildings humans were proud of.

"S-Sarafu?" Ryu asked, as he recognized this great, shiny mass to be the dragon he saw earlier, the one that nearly ate him, then morphed into his love.

_**Wrong. Sarafu no longer exists. I am Tsuki, the Dragon of the Moon. And as Sarafu's last wish, I am to take you safely to the ground.**_

Ryu's muscles tensed at hearing this strangely alluring voice in his mind. "Wh-wait! What do you mean 'Sarafu's last wish'? Where is she?! Isn't she you?!"

_**Foolish boy. We are two different beings. We are only connected by the body we share. However, she gave up her body to save you and the people of this pathetic city. A foolish last wish, I am sure.**_

"What?! So she's..." He couldn't bring himself to utter those last words.

_**Dead? I suppose you can say that. But did she ever really live? Not having her own will? I controled her body in battle, gave her urgings, desires. Her soul merely took up space. She never truly existed. She was only chaperoning my body while I waited. And since Sarafu's mother died, and returned my other half to me, I am whole again, and may live as I please, with no pitiful humans to hinder me.**_

"No, you're wrong! She had feelings! She existed!" The snow-haired boy couldn't believe what he was hearing. . .or. . .thinking. Sarafu. . .gone? There was no way. She just couldn't die. Her existence was too important to him, to Gaara, to Tsunade, to all her friends, and at the moment, important to Akatsuki. Which speaking of. . .

Turning his head to examine the sky, he couldn't find the other dragon of splendor. Where did Hinako and that other guy go?

_**They achieved which they have sought for, so there is no reason for them to stay. They are relaying the message to their comrades, and tracking me, also.**_

"What? Why would they track you? They can't possibly be trying to defeat you?!"

_**No, they're not idiots. They wanted this to happen. Why else would they go through the trouble to knock Sora out of the sky? Sarafu was a nuisance to them. She was in the way. Again, better off dead. No, what they really want is me. So, they created this diabolical scheme to give me full-control, and then they're going to absorb all of my chakra. My entire being.**_

"And you're just gonn sit there while they do this?!"

_**I'm not 'sitting', simpleton. I must first fulfill Sarafu's wish. Although you humans may see me as evil, I am a dragon of pride, and never go back on my word. I will see her wish granted, and thus, seal the deal. Besides, there is nothing those shrimps can do to me. I am all-powerful. They are merely waiting for an opportunity, which I trust you, they will not get. No, they've got something, much more treacherous in mind. They're going to destroy themselves, before they even think about trying to touch me.**_

"What? I don't understand you at all!"

_**That doesn't surprise me. Your brain is too small to comprehend the brainpower of a rock! Let me put it into layman's terms. The Akatsuki, as you call them, are going to abrupt a war in between all of your countries, creating confusion and mayhem, creating oppurtunities for them, and once they've got the power of all the nations, they're going to capture me. However, I don't plan on staying on this god-forsaken planet for that long. Once I'm done with this, I'm going back home. I've had enough of the Earth.**_

"Back home?"

_**Yes, my home on the moon.**_

Before Ryu had realized it, he found himself on the ground, along with a crowd of people, whom Takuro had dropped. But what of the city? Ryu looked into the sky, to see the emerald dragon, and the moonlit one, flying it up into the sky.

"Where are they taking our city?!" A man behind Ryu asked in dispair.

Ryu answered without even truly knowing what he was saying. "To Outer Space. It's too big for this planet."

The former citizens of Sora gazed up into the blue abyss, mourning the loss of their precious city. _Well,_ Ryu thought to himself. _It seems that all of Sarafu's wishes were granted. The people of Sora have come back down to Earth, Gaara loves her now, and she is free from the Moon Dragon. But. . ._

Ryu buckled to the ground, and curled over, bawling. Tears spilling out everywhere, as he wailed to the sky. "My. . .wish. . .has been. . .denied," Ryu choked through sobs. It was a tragic day for the people of Sora and Ryu.

What was he to do now, except find someone he knew. He hadn't realized it until now, but Sarafu had become his home. He hadn't been back to Kumo in what seemed like forever. They probably assumed him dead. But this didn't phase him, he didn't like life there anyway. Now, he had no friends to turn to. The only person he really knew well, besides Sarafu, was Gaara, and he hated him.

Ryu stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes. He had no choice. He needed to tell someone about this, and it might as well be Gaara. Ryu bit his thumb and summoned an enormous black hound, which gave him a polite bow. "Chizu, take me to Suna, and hurry, please!"

The dog nodded his furry head, and waited patiently as Ryu mounted himself on the animal's back. Then they leapt off through the surrounding trees.

It took him almost the entire day at his speed, but they finally made it to the sandy border of Suna. Ryu slid off Chizu's back and dismissed him. Now he was alone again, and he felt his heart hollow and wither at the thought. He didn't like being alone. The flat desert made him feel even lonelier. He wrapped his arms around each other and tredged through the sand.

The dirt and the grief had changed him into a worn and weary traveler to stranger's eyes. His headband in his pocket, he passed through the gates that protected Suna from intruders with little suspicion. The ninja village was just as he remembered it. People making their way, taking care not to associate with strangers. He stopped in front of the Kazekage building, reluctant to go inside and see his rival's face. He took a minute to persuade himself and then took the few steps inside the rocky building.

He took the procedures to ask an audiance of the Kazekage, despite the secretary's wary stares, and waited in the lobby for his request to be aqcuiesced. He didn't have to wait long. In less than an hour, Gaara's crimson head popped through the door, no look of emotion on his face, but his voice carried irritation.

"You wished to see me?"

Ryu stood up, his grim look, only grimmer. "Yes. I. . .have some bad news."

Gaara's pale face remained unchanged, but his voice became softer. "Come into my office. We can talk there."

Ryu simply nodded and followed the young Kage into his spacious working area. Gaara sat in his chair and swirled it around so that he was facing Gaara. "What is it?"

_No, Gaara. Don't offer me a seat. I'm fine!_ Ryu grumbled to himself and seated himself in a chair parallel to Gaara's.

"Well, Sarafu and I. . .we returned to the village today, and well, we had some unexpected guests waiting for us."

Gaara waited silently for Ryu to continue.

"It was Akatsuki. Hinako and some guy she called Itachi were in her office at our return."

Gaara raised his. . .well, forehead. (He doesn't exactly have any eyebrows.) "Akatsuki?!" he mimicked in a quiet, unbelieving voice.

Ryu nodded jerkily. He was beginning to regain confidence in his words. "They attacked us. They were after Sarafu's dragon. Her Moon Dragon, that is. They somehow caused Sora to fall and Sarafu summoned Takuro to save it, but that wasn't enough. She had to-"

Now, his words stopped as tears burned his eyes. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat and shakily breathed. "give up her body to the Moon Dragon!"

Gaara didn't move. He was frozen by Ryu's words. Ryu was a little scared by how still he was. He thought Gaara had had a heart-attack and died.

"B-but, it was all part of their plan, the Dragon told me! It saved everyone as Sarafu's last wish, and now is returning to the Moon! It said that Akatsuki plans on creating a war between all the countries! Gaara?! Are you listening?! Gaara!!"

Gaara didn't answer the freaked out Ryu, but did turn his head towards the window where a parrot sat. Ryu followed his gaze, puzzled. _What's a parrot doing here? They're not native to the deserts!_

The parrot looked perfectly normal. It blinked every three seconds and tilted its head to the side curiously. Then it spoke. "AANH! Gaara! Anh!"

Now, Gaara's face shown surprise.

_...to be continued. _


	57. Chapter 58

**No Opposible Thumbs**

Gaara stared at the parrot as it blinked at him, turning its head to the side, curiously.

"Did that parrot just. . .call your name?" Ryu gaped.

Gaara nodded in surprise.

"How?"

Gaara simply shrugged, to surprised to speak. The parrot gave what seemed to be a tortured laugh. "Anh! Gaara! Funny! Anh!"

"I think I'm dreaming," Ryu decided, turning away and pinching himself.

"Well, its not totally unbelievable. Parrots can mimick the English language," Gaara presented an hypothesis, back to his calm demeanor. "Someone must've said my name and its merely coincidence that its here."

"A parrot? In the desert?"

"Anh! No coincendence! No such thing! Anh!"

"Well, you heard him," Ryu laughed.

"Her," the parrot whistled angrily.

"Ok, explain that boy-genius," Ryu argued with Gaara. "Sure it can mimick the English language, but not talk to people!"

". . ."

The parrot hopped off the window sill and flew briefly to Gaara's desk, searching for something. Soon, it found a pen and began to scribble onto a piece of paper. Well, it looked like scribbles to Ryu. The handwritting was terrible, but then again, the bird was writing with its beak. Gaara and Ryu watched intently, and once they were able to read the hardly legible scratches, they each sharply intook some air, staring at the parrot in awe. The paper said:

_I'm sure Ryu has told you about my 'death'. I was going to the Other World when I met up with the spirit of this dead bird who died of drowning itself, the idiot. Don't worry, I asked for permission first, so I took over its body. I sure showed that over-grown lizard, huh? Well, if you can help me with getting my body back, or at least a better one than this, then please feel free to do so._

_-Sarafu_

Gaara seemed to be on the verge of tears, and Ryu _was _crying. "You look like. . .-sniff-such a dork. . .in bird form."

The bird didn't reply, and it was hard to tell what she felt, because of her parrot face. She blinked a few times, and tilted her head to the side. "Idiot," was all it said. The parrot flew from the desk and onto Gaara's shoulder. "I hope this doesn't-anh!-affect our relationship, Gaara. Though, I don't see how a bird and a human could have-"

"You've got a sick mind, you know that?"

"No, just a whole lot of hormones. whistle Say once I get a human body, you wanna-"

"I'M STILL HERE, YOU KNOW!!" Ryu screamed, his face red.

"Then, stop being here," the parrot Sarafu cawed angrily at him. "And then you won't have to listen to us."

Ryu growled, steaming. "Have you forgotten what I've told you?! There's no way I'm leaving you two alone, even if you are a parrot!"

At this, Gaara flicked his eyes toward Ryu. Ryu was a little scared by the ferocity in his eyes, but held his ground. There was nothing to hide. Gaara already knew where he stood.

"So. . ." Sarafu broke the silence, hopping off Gaara's shoulder and onto his desk. "You said that Akatsuki plans to start a war between the ninja villages. That makes sense. Anh! Well, if that's the case, they'll more than likely start with an unstable country."

"The Sound?" Ryu suggested.

"No. They will follow with the war. No. The Rain Village. It is a small village, not the smallest, but they are hot-headed little things. Anh! They're always looking for a way to expand. Woohoo! Akatsuki will probably persuade them into invading the smaller Grass Village."

"But Konoha has a treaty with the Grass Village. Surely, they will come to their aid."

"Which is what Akatsuki is hoping to do. This is where Sound comes in. And the Mist Village. Konoha's two greatest enemies. And then, the Waterfall village is next, and then the Cloud Village is next. Then, poor isolated Water Village is easily overthrown."

"But wait, isn't Sound under Orochimaru's control, not the Akatsuki's?" Gaara interrupted me.

"All the more reason it should work. Although the two are at ends, Orochimaru cannot pass up this chance. In theory, this war works for everyone's advantage. Each Village has the chance to seize the opportunity to gain control over all the Countries. Ninjas can settle old grudges, expand their territory, even have a little 'fun'. This war is to bring out the evil, the beast, in everyone. I am an example of that."

It was silent for a while, as Sarafu's grim words settled over the quiet office. Then Gaara spoke. "How do you know all this? This is a pretty big guess."

"Not a guess, my dear. While in my sort of 'limbo' between the living and the dead, I was exposed to a series of vast souls. And their knowledge came with them. One in particular happened to be an unfortunate fellow who had too much curiosity for his own good. He found out about Akatsuki's plans. The ironic part is, they hoped to silence him by murder, but only because of his death, was I able to achieve this information. It seems that this has only done me good. I'm rid of the Moon Dragon, and I've aquired a vast amount of knowledge. The only draw-back," Sarafu looked down at her multi-colored feathered body-"is that I'm no longer human."

"No, you're not human," Ryu said coldly, with a frown, but then he smiled at Sarafu. "But you're still you."

"Such over-used words," Sarafu spoke, but couldn't deny that it made her feel better.

Gaara intervened their moment of happiness with a seroius question. "So, now that we know, what is your plan to stop it?"

Sarafu turned to Gaara, seriously. "I'm not sure if we can stop it. The only idea that I can suggest is to tell the villages about Akatsuki's plan, but this might ignite the war anyway. Knowing that your neighbor could be plotting against you doesn't leave you content. No, the only thing we can do is to win the war. The purpose of this war is to dissolve the countries. To beat Akatsuki, we must unite the Ninja Villages together! Gaara, I can assume Konoha has Suna's support?"

Gaara cracked a smile, which tickled and frightened Sarafu at the same time. He was just too emo to smile. "Of course."

"Then, we must send the message to all the countries! War has begun! Oh, and Ryu. . .what about the Sora citizens? Did you settle them down onto Earth while I was gone?"

Ryu was startled by this question and began to sweat with worry. He had completely forgotten about them. "Uh, no. I kind of. . .just. . .left them there."

"WHAT?!"

_...to be continued._


	58. Chapter 59

**Possession**

The sun glared on the multi-colored feathers of the parrot that perched on Gaara's shoulder. It flicked its head to the side, and began to clean a few bugs out of its wing. A feather brushed past Gaara's cheek and he turned his stolid view on the bird.

"Are you doing that because of birdly needs, or are you just playing around?"

"So cold," the parrot whistled in its high-pitched voice. "Anh! Just cleaning myself. Wohhoo!"

Gaara cocked an eyebrow and then went back to his surveying of the villagers. A few would stare at him curiously, wondering what a tropical bird was doing in the desert, and on their Kage's shoulder, nonetheless. "I still can't see anyway of you getting your body back," the red-head sighed. "I mean, its on the moon, for sand's sake!"

"Anh! That's why we're looking for a replacement body for me!" the bird retorted.

"Are you really going to do that? Kick someone else out of their own body, just so you can be human again. The bird was already dead, but the living?"

"Can't knock a living person out of own body! Anh! Not powerful enough! Find one close to death. Then it ok anyway."

"Heph!" Gaara snorted as his aqua eyes scanned the city. As far as he knew, there were no sick, let alone mortally ailed people in his village, but then again, he didn't really get out much.

They had reached the outskirts of the village where the suburbia lay, when he stopped suddenly, confusing the feathered creature. _It's quiet here,_ he thought. _Usually there are children playing._ Gaara put two fingers to a closed eye and held his palm up while sand gathered above his skin, forming an eyeball that floated around. The eyeball floated through an open window of an adobe house to their far right. After a while, the eyeball came floating back to Gaara and dissolved. He put his hand down and opened his eye. "There's been a spread of influenza around here. One household has a very bad case. Their daughter won't survive the night."

The parrot almost seemed to smile. "I couldn't be happier for them."

"So, you're gonna wait till she's dead, then?"

"No! I save her!"

Gaara was surprised by this reply. The parrot flew off his shoulder and into the house. Gaara followed, taking care to be as quiet and invisible, so as not to intrude upon the sickened family. He lay in wait, in the shadows of the house, watching the astonished faces of the family in their beds, as a parrot flew into their house and landed on the lap of a young woman, only a little older than Sarafu. She had crystaline blue eyes, like a clear stream of spring water, and murky brown hair the cascaded down her shoulders in crinkled waves. Besides the stunningness of her surprisingly bright eyes, the girl wasn't a _spectacularly_ beautiful person. In fact, her sickness only seemed to make her look uglier, but her eyes never dulled.

"Bird?" she finally managed to breathe out.

The parrot did not answer. It merely lay down and closed its eyes, never to open them again.


End file.
